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Franz M Geiger

Publications and source records attributed to Franz M Geiger.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

Tracking oxytetracyline mobility across environmental interfaces by second harmonic generation.

This work examines the binding behavior of the antibiotic oxytetracycline (OTC) to mineral oxide/water interfaces in the presence and absence of organic functional groups using the interface-specific technique second harmonic generation (SHG). Studies show that OTC binding to fused quartz, methyl ester, carboxylic acid, and alkyl interfaces is fully reversible and highly dependent on solution pH, with appreciable adsorption occurring only at pH 8. Relative surface coverage at pH 8 is highest for the polar organic-functionalized surfaces, and surface saturation occurs for the methyl ester-functionalized fused quartz/water interface at 2 x 10(-5) M. Adsorption isotherm measurements indicate that the binding process is controlled by hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions, with free energies of adsorption on the order of -40 kJ/mol for all interfaces studied. The results indicate that OTC transport in the environment will depend heavily on soil pH and composition and have implications for the development of bacterial antibiotic resistance.

Adsorption↗

Interaction of the indoor air pollutant acetone with Degussa P25 TiO2 studied by chemical ionization mass spectrometry.

Preventing a build-up of indoor pollutant concentrations has emerged as a major goal in environmental chemistry. Here, we have applied chemical ionization mass spectrometry to study the interaction of acetone, a common indoor air pollutant, with Degussa P25 TiO2, an inexpensive catalyst that is widely used for the degradation of volatile organic compounds into CO2 and water. To better understand the adsorption of acetone onto Degussa P25, the necessary first step for its degradation, the experiments were carried out at room temperature in the absence of UV light. This allowed for the deconvolution of the nonreactive and reactive thermal binding processes on Degussa P25 at acetone partial pressures (10(-7)-10(-4) Torr) commonly found in indoor environments. On average, 30% of the adsorbed acetone is bound irreversibly, resulting in a surface coverage of irreversibly bound acetone of approximately 1 x 10(12) molecules/cm2 at 3-4 x 10(-5) Torr. Equilibrium and dynamic experiments yield a sticking coefficient of approximately 1 x 10(-4) that is independent of the acetone partial pressures examined here. Equilibrium binding constants and free energies of adsorption are reported.

Journal Article↗

Hydrogen chloride-induced surface disordering on ice.

Characterizing the interaction of hydrogen chloride (HCl) with polar stratospheric cloud ice particles is essential for understanding the processes responsible for ozone depletion. We studied the interaction of gas-phase HCl with ice between 243 and 186 K by using (i) ellipsometry to monitor the ice surface and (ii) coated-wall flow tube experiments, both with chemical ionization mass spectrometry detection of the gas phase. We show that trace amounts of HCl induce formation of a disordered region, or quasi-liquid layer, at the ice surface at stratospheric temperatures. We also show that surface disordering enhances the chlorine activation reaction of HCl with chlorine nitrate (ClONO(2)) and also enhances acetic acid (CH(3)COOH) adsorption. These results impact our understanding of the chemistry and physics of ice particles in the atmosphere.

Journal Article↗

Second harmonic generation phase measurements of Cr(VI) at a buried interface.

Surface second harmonic generation (SHG) phase measurements are carried out on methyl ester-functionalized fused quartz/water interfaces in the presence and absence of Cr(VI). The experiments are performed at pH 7, room temperature, and a chromate concentration of 10(-4) M, which corresponds to monolayer Cr(VI) coverage. The liquid/solid interface is probed from the fused quartz side by directing the probe light field at 580 nm onto the interface together with an SHG reference signal at 290 nm that is collinear with the fundamental. The phase difference of the SHG signals generated at the interface in the presence and absence of Cr(VI) is 85 degrees, which is consistent with SHG resonance enhancement observed for the surface-bound Cr(VI) near 290 nm. The optical arrangement discussed here does not require vacuum technology or optics that compensate for the dispersion of the fundamental and the second harmonic E-fields in the two condensed-phase media. This approach is general and can be applied for analyzing thermodynamic and kinetic data derived from SHG measurements of physical and chemical processes occurring at any buried interface.

Journal Article↗

Nonlinear optical studies of the agricultural antibiotic morantel interacting with silica/water interfaces.

It is now known that the untreated discharge of pharmaceuticals into the environment can impact human health and development and lead to increased drug resistance in biota. Here, we present the first direct interface-specific studies that address the mobility of the widely used agricultural antibiotic morantel, which is commonly present in farm runoff. Surface-bound morantel was spectroscopically identified using second harmonic generation (SHG) via a two-photon resonance of its n-pi* transition and in the C-H stretching region by vibrational sum frequency generation (VSFG). Resonantly enhanced SHG adsorption isotherm measurements carried out at the silica/water interface between 6 x 10(-7) and 5 x 10(-5) M morantel concentration result in a free energy of adsorption of 42(2) kJ/mol at pH 7. Finally, real-time tracking of morantel interaction with the silica/water interface shows that the binding events are fully reversible, consistent with its high mobility in silica-rich soil environments. This work thus indicates that pharmaceuticals discharged into the environment can enter the groundwater supply of municipal water systems, at which point their removal is challenging. In addition, the high mobility of morantel in silica-rich soil environments could lead to developing increased interaction of this antibiotic with target organisms, which could respond by increased drug resistance.

Antinematodal Agents↗

DNA single strands tethered to fused quartz/water interfaces studied by second harmonic generation.

Second harmonic generation (SHG) is used to study oligonucleotides at aqueous/solid interfaces for the first time. Detailed thermodynamic state information for interfacial DNA single strands, namely, the interfacial charge density, the interfacial potential, and the change in the interfacial energy density, is obtained. The phosphate groups on the DNA backbone serve as intrinsic labels that do not require DNA modification other than surface attachment. This approach is broadly applicable for the investigation of DNA during its interaction with biological targets, as well as charged biopolymers in general, and has important implications for predicting and controlling macromolecular interactions, improving biodiagnostics, and understanding life processes.

Cross-Linking Reagents↗

Kinetic studies of chromium (VI) binding to carboxylic acid- and methyl ester-functionalized silica/water interfaces important in geochemistry.

Real-time kinetic measurements of hexavalent chromium binding to fused silica surfaces functionalized with carboxylic acid and methyl ester terminal groups are performed in situ using resonantly enhanced surface second harmonic generation (SHG) at pH 7 and 300 K. These functional groups were chosen because of their high abundance in humic acids and related biopolymers. Kinetic measurements are conducted in the submonolayer regime using chromate solution concentrations ranging from 1 x 10(-6) to 2 x 10(-5) M. The adsorption rates were analyzed using the standard Langmuir model and the Frumkin-Fowler-Guggenheim model. The desorption kinetics are consistent with a first-order process. These results indicate that hexavalent chromium mobility in carboxylic acid- and ester-rich soil environments increases with decreasing chromate concentrations. Based on the measured half-lives of the adsorbed Cr(VI) species, remobilization of bound hexavalent chromium due to natural or anthropogenic events that lower the chromate concentration in the aqueous phase can occur within minutes.

Adsorption↗

Control of carboxylic acid and ester groups on chromium (VI) binding to functionalized silica/water interfaces studied by second harmonic generation.

Resonantly enhanced surface second harmonic generation (SHG) measurements carried out at pH 7 and room temperature were performed to study how surface-bound carboxylic acid and methyl ester functional groups control the interaction of chromate ions with fused silica/water interfaces. These functional groups were chosen because of their high abundance in humic and fulvic acids and related biopolymers commonly found in soils. They were anchored to the silica surface using organosilane chemistry to avoid competing complexation processes in the aqueous solution as well as competitive adsorption of the organic compounds and chromate. The SHG experiments were carried out at room temperature and pH 7 while using environmentally representative chromate concentrations ranging from 1 x10(-6) to 2 x 10(-4) M. Chromate is found to bind to the acid- and ester-functionalized silica/water interfaces in a reversible fashion. In contrast to the plain silica/water interface, chromate binding studies performed on the functionalized silica/water interfaces show S-shaped adsorption isotherms that can be modeled using the Frumkin-Fowler-Guggenheim (FFG) model. This model predicts a coverage-dependent binding constant of K(ads) x exp(gtheta). Values for g are found to be 3.2(2), 2.1(2), and 1.3(2) for the carboxylic acid-, the ester-, and the nonfunctionalized silica/water interfaces, respectively, and are consistent with stabilizing lateral adsorbate-adsorbate interactions among the Cr(VI) species adsorbed to the functionalized surfaces. The FFG model allows for the parametrization of the solid-liquid partition coefficient and chromate retardation factors in silica-rich soil particles whose surfaces contain organic adlayers rich in carboxylic acid and methyl ester groups. The straightforward model presented here predicts that chromate retardation increases by up to 200% when carboxylic acid functional groups are present at the silica/water interface. Increases up to 50% are predicted for methyl ester-containing organic adlayers, and the retardation factor remains effectively near unity for the plain silica/water interface (no siloxanes present).

Adsorption↗

Interfacial acidities, charge densities, potentials, and energies of carboxylic acid-functionalized silica/water interfaces determined by second harmonic generation.

Second-harmonic studies were carried out to determine the interfacial acidity, the potential, and the interfacial energy density of an acid-functionalized silica/water interface between pH 2 and 12. The interfacial potential changes over 3 orders of magnitude, from 10-2 mV to several tens of millivolts, and the interfacial energy density changes by 7 orders of magnitude, from less than 10-7 mJ/m2 to several millijoules per square meter. The methodology presented in this study provides quantitative thermodynamic information necessary for understanding and predicting how solvated species interact with functionalized organic adlayers at liquid/solid interfaces over a wide pH range.

Carboxylic Acids↗

Chromium(VI) binding to functionalized silica/water interfaces studied by nonlinear optical spectroscopy.

Organic adlayers can significantly alter the interactions of environmentally relevant surfaces with their surroundings. We present the first second harmonic and broadband sum frequency generation (SHG and BBSFG) study that illustrates how organic surface functional groups can control the mobility of the priority pollutant chromium(VI) in soil: Cr(VI) binds to ester- and acid-functionalized surfaces but not to alkane-functionalized surfaces. The implications with respect to toxic metal transport across organic adlayers at liquid-solid interfaces are that aqueous Cr(VI) can be retained by polar groups common in biopolymers but not by hydrophobic groups common in surfactants.

Journal Article↗