Products resulting from the reaction of toluene with Cu(II)-montmorillonite were analyzed using GC/MS, HPLC/MS, GPC, and FTIR methods. Numerous oligomers of toluene were observed, extending at least as high as the resolution limit (1500 g/mol) of the GPC column. The FTIR spectrum of the nonvolatile components of the extract was very similar to that of liquid toluene. GC/MS data on the volatile components revealed dimers, trimers, and a multitude of transmethylated products. Oligomerization proceeded via both ring-ring (i.e., polyphenyl) and ring-methyl linkages. The primary trans-methylated products were tert-butylbenzene and isopropylxylene, indicating a competition between ringand side-chain methylations. The side-chain substitutions cannot be explained in terms of the aromatic radical cation intermediate which typically forms in arene/clay reactions. A consideration of alkylbenzene reactions observed in various other media suggests that the present transmethylation reactions occur via a benzyl cation intermediate.

Widespread groundwater contamination has prompted studies on the fate and transport of solute through soil. Large quantities of atrazine and metribuzin are applied annually in the Humid Pampas of Argentina, creating the need to study the fate of these herbicides in soils of the region. The objective of this work was to study the vertical transport of atrazine and metribuzin in packed soil columns for three loam soils representative of the Humid Pampas of Argentina. Bromide was used as a nonreactive tracer. The convection dispersion equation was fitted to chemical breakthrough data to obtain a parameter characterizing chemical transport. Bromide breakthrough curves (BTCs) were similar among soils. BTCs for atrazine and metribuzin revealed significant interaction among soils and herbicides. The average values for the organic carbon (OC) partition coefficients (Koc) derived from column flow experiments were 119 and 48 ml/g for atrazine and metribuzin, respectively. Metribuzin in leachate was 97.3% of the total recovered, whereas atrazine was 3.5%. This behavior can be explained by their different affinities to OC. The OC contents of the Balcarce, Necochea, and Nueve de Julio soils were 4.1, 3.4, and 1.9%, respectively. The lowest leaching values of herbicides were found in the Balcarce soil, suggesting that OC content was the main factor in controlling herbicide transport in these soils.

The composition of cuticular and internal n-alkanes in Lucilia sericata larvae, pupae, and male and female imagines were studied. The cuticular and internal lipid extracts were separated by HPLC-LLSD, after which the hydrocarbon fraction was identified by GC/MS in selected ion monitoring (SIM) and total ion current (TIC) modes.

The cuticular lipids of the larvae contained seven n-alkanes from C23 to C31. The major n-alkane in L. sericata larvae was C29 (42.1%). The total cuticular n-alkane content in the cuticular lipids was 31.46 μg g−1 of the insect body. The internal lipids of L. sericata larvae contained five n-alkanes ranged from C25 to C31. The most abundant compound was C27 (61.71 μg g−1 of the insect body). Eighteen n-alkanes from C14 to C31 were identified in the cuticular lipids of the pupae. The most abundant n-alkanes ranged from C25 to C31; those with odd-numbered carbon chains were particularly abundant, the major one being C29:0 (59.5%). Traces of eight cuticular n-alkanes were present. The internal lipids of L. sericata pupae contained five n-alkanes, ranging from C25 to C31. The cuticular lipids of female imagines contained 17 n-alkanes from C12 to C30. Among the cuticular n-alkanes of females, C27 (47.5%) was the most abundant compound. Four n-alkanes, with only odd-numbered carbon chains, were identified in the internal lipids of females. The lipids from both sexes of L. sericata had similar n-alkane profiles. The cuticular lipids of adult males contained 16 n-alkanes ranging from C13 to C31. C27 (47.9%) was the most abundant cuticular n-alkanes in males. The same n-alkanes only with odd-numbered carbon chains and in smaller quantities of C27 (0.1%) were also identified in the internal lipids of males.

The highest amounts of total cuticular n-alkanes were detected in males and females of L. sericata (330.4 and 158.93 μg g−1 of the insect body, respectively). The quantities of total cuticular alcohols in larvae and pupae were smaller (31.46 μg g−1 and 42.08 μg g−1, respectively). The internal n-alkane contents of larvae, pupae, and male and female imagines were significantly higher than the cuticular n-alkane contents (153.53, 99.60, 360.06 and 838.76 μg g−1 of the insect body, respectively).

Few studies have investigated the absorption of phylloquinone (vitamin K1). We recruited twelve healthy, non-obese adults. On each study day, fasted subjects took a capsule containing 20 μg of 13C-labelled phylloquinone with one of three meals, defined as convenience, cosmopolitan and animal-oriented, in a three-way crossover design. The meals were formulated from the characteristics of clusters identified in dietary pattern analysis of data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey conducted in 2000–1. Plasma phylloquinone concentration and isotopic enrichment were measured over 8 h. Significantly more phylloquinone tracer was absorbed when consumed with the cosmopolitan and animal-oriented meals than with the convenience meal (P = 0·001 and 0·035, respectively). Estimates of the relative availability of phylloquinone from the meals were: convenience meal = 1·00; cosmopolitan meal = 0·31; animal-oriented meal = 0·23. Combining the tracer data with availability estimates for phylloquinone from the meals provides overall relative bioavailability values of convenience = 1·00, cosmopolitan = 0·46 and animal-oriented = 0·29. Stable isotopes provide a useful tool to investigate further the bioavailability of low doses of phylloquinone. Different meals can affect the absorption of free phylloquinone. The meal-based study design used in the present work provides an approach that reflects more closely the way foods are eaten in a free-living population.