UV-VIS spectroscopy of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene-hydroxide reaction

Contamination of groundwater, surface water and soil by explosives has occurred at military sites throughout the world as a result of manufacture of explosive compounds, assembly of munitions, and deployment of explosives containing devices. Due to the adverse effects of explosives on humans and other natural receptors, a low cost means of decontaminating these areas of contamination is needed. Base-induced transformation of explosives has shown promise as a rapid, low cost, and minimally resource-intensive technology for detoxifying explosives in soil and water. In order to understand the reaction mechanism, a reaction mixture of 2:1:1 (water:2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT):1 N KOH) was analyzed by UV/VIS spectrometry from 190 to 1,100 nm. Time course measurements were conducted at 25, 20, 15, and 12 degrees C. A factor analysis program was used to analyze the spectral data. Principal component analysis indicated that six principal components explained the spectra to within experimental error, with four factors explaining the majority of the variance. Test spectral vectors for four components were developed, including TNT, two intermediates, and the final product, and were tested against the abstract vectors. Two possible reaction mechanisms were suggested and tested to explain the spectral data.     

Book reviews

ANALYTICAL PLANNING: THE ORGANISATION OF SYSTEMS

Thomas L. Saaty and Kevin P. Kearns

Pergamon Press, 1985. Price: U.S. $40.00, U.K. £29.50.

THE GEOGRAPHER AT WORK

Peter Gould

Routledge and Kegan Paul, London 1985’ Price: £8.95.

UTOPIA ON TRIAL

Alice Colman

Hilary Shipman Ltd., 19 Framfield Road, Highbury, London. May 1985 (reprinted August, 1985). Price: £7.95.

SIR RAYMOND UNWIN: ARCHITECT, PLANNER AND VISIONARY

Frank Jackson

A. Zwemmer Ltd., London 1985. 187 pp. with maps and illustrations.

STRATEGIC PLANNING IN ACTION: THE IMPACT OF THE CLYDE VALLEY REGIONAL PLAN 1946–1982

R. Smith and U. Wannop (eds)

Gower, 1985, 272 pp. Price: £16.50.

LOCALITIES, CLASS AND GENDER

The Lancaster Regionalism Group (Linda Murgatroyd, Mike Savage, Dan Shapiro, John Urry, Sylvia Walby, Alan Warde, with Jane Mark‐Lawson)

Pion Ltd., 1985. Price: £12.00.     

Relationship of surface changes to metal leaching from tungsten composite shot exposed to three different soil types

Physical changes that occur on the surface of fired shots due to firing and impact with soil may increase the dissolution of muniton metals. Increased metal dissolution could potentially increase metal transport and leaching, affecting metal concentrations in surface and groundwater. This research describes the relationship between the surface changes on fired tungsten-nickel-iron (94% W:2% Ni:4% Fe) composite shots and metals leaching from those shots. Tungsten composite shot was fired into, and aged in, three soil types (Silty Sand, Sandy Clay, and Silt) in mesoscale rainfall lysimeters to simulate live-fire conditions and subsequent interactions between the metals of the composite and soil. Leachate, runoff, and soil samples were collected from the lysimeters and analyzed for metal content. The shots were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to evaluate surface changes. SEM results indicated that a soil’s particle size distribution initially affected the amount of metal that was sheared from the surface of the fired W-composite shots. Shearing was greatest in soils with larger soil particles (sand and gravel); shearing was least in soils composed of small soil particles (fines). Increased metallic shearing from the shot’s surface was associated with increased W dissolution, compared to controls, following a simulated 1 year soil aging.     

The Harvest and Management of Migratory Bird Eggs by Inuit in Nunatsiavut, Labrador

This paper presents the results of collaborative research conducted in 2007 on the harvest of migratory bird eggs by Inuit households of Nunatsiavut, Labrador. Harvest variability between communities and species is examined, as is the social and ecological factors affecting the 2007 Inuit egg harvest. Representing the first comprehensive account of Inuit egg use in Labrador, this information should be valuable to agencies responsible for managing migratory bird populations in North America and will contribute to a more informed understanding of the complexity and temporal variability in subsistence harvesting among Labrador Inuit. It is argued that the recognition of this complexity will be critical as the Nunatsiavut Government and other wildlife management agencies formulate management policies that are supportive rather, than constraining, to Inuit resource use in the future.     

Atmospheric Emissions from Oxidation Ponds

The electrodes in industrial precipitators collect many tons of dust daily, and the efficient transfer of this dust burden to the hoppers is a challenging problem in mechanical engineering. Many varieties of devices have been tried; hammers, vibrators, scrapers, water flushing, gas blasting, etc. Impact devices for this purpose are usually called “rappers.” Laboratory experiments described in this paper show that normal (perpendicular) rapping is more effective than shear rapping; that thick dust layers are more easily removed by rapping than thin ones; that rapping becomes easier with increasing temperature, within limits; and that the electrostatic forces acting upon the precipitated dust layer play an important role. Quantitative data are shown graphically. The relation of these results to previous studies by other investigators is discussed.