Structure of reverse microemulsion-templated metal hexacyanoferrate nanoparticles

The droplet phase of a reverse microemulsion formed by the surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium ferrocyanide was used as a matrix to synthesize nanoparticles of nickel hexacyanoferrate by adding just a solution of NiCl2 to the microemulsion media. Dynamic light scattering and small-angle neutron scattering measurements show that the reverse microemulsion droplets employed have a globular structure, with sizes that depend on water content. Transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction are used to obtain information about the structure of the synthesized nanoparticles. The results show that the size and shape of the coordination compound nanoparticles correspond with the size and shape of the droplets, suggesting that the presented system constitutes an alternative method of the synthesis of metal hexacyanoferrate nanoparticles

Assessment of Physicochemical Properties of Tequila Brands: Authentication and Quality

Several physicochemical properties were measured in commercial tequila brands: conductivity, density, pH, sound velocity, viscosity, and refractive index. Physicochemical data were analyzed by Principal Component Analysis (PCA), cluster analysis, and the one-way analysis of variance to identify the quality and authenticity of tequila brands. According to the Principal Component Analysis, the existence of 3 main components was identified, explaining the 87.76% of the total variability of physicochemical measurements. In general, all tequila brands appeared together in the plane of the first two principal components. In the cluster analysis, four groups showing similar characteristics were identified. In particular, one of the clusters contains some tequila brands that are not identified by the Regulatory Council of Tequila and do not meet the quality requirements established in the Mexican Official Standard 006. These tequila brands are characterized by having higher conductivity and density and lower viscosity and refractive index, determined by one-way analysis of variance. Therefore, these economical measurements, PCA, and cluster analysis can be used to determinate the authenticity of a tequila brand