Teaching - I have more than 58 years of teaching experience as a teaching assistant, lecturer, assistant professor, associate professor, and visiting professor at several universities and colleges. Developed and taught many courses in analytical, organic, physical, and environmental chemistry, and instrumental analysis. Participated in teaching courses in environmental chemistry, industrial hygiene, and industrial chemistry. Developed and taught several theoretical and laboratory workshops in quality control and quality assurance standards
Chemical analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semivolatiles (SVs), including pestici... more Chemical analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semivolatiles (SVs), including pesticides, was performed on 623 and 568 samples, respectively, of household drinking water, as well as on 113 samples from 71 brands of bottled water available in Kuwaiti markets. The analysis was performed according to United States Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA) Methods 524.2 and 525.2. Nine VOCs and eight SVs were found in household water. Furthermore, between one and seven of 12 VOCs were detected in 93% of the bottled water brands. All bottled waters were found to be completely free of SVs. Styrene was the main pollutant found in all brands packaged in polystyrene containers of sizes 200-mL and 250-mL, with levels generally higher than the WHO guideline value of 20 microg/L. The levels of styrene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylenes were found to increase with storage time, which indicates that these VOCs were migrating from the container material. No effect was detected due to changes in the storage temperature. All detected VOCs and SVs in household and bottled waters, except styrene, were found at concentrations much lower than those established as safe by WHO guidelines and US-EPA maximum contaminant levels (MCLs), respectively.
International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology
Exposure to various groups of SVOCs, particularly in the indoor air, is of increasing concern wor... more Exposure to various groups of SVOCs, particularly in the indoor air, is of increasing concern worldwide. These groups include PAHs, PCBs, phthalate esters, organochlorines, and many others, which are classified among the priority organic pollutants. A new method was developed and optimized for simultaneous whole air sampling using recent canister/helium diffusion technology followed by online cryogenic trapping, concentration of the SVOCs, and direct on-column injection into the GC/MS. The method was optimized using 25 SVOCs (seven of PAHs, eight of PCBs, four of phthalates, three OCs, and three of others) and tested in the analysis of 294 air samples, which were collected from the outdoor and the indoor at eight large office buildings on 21 different dates from January 2011 to August 2011. The method detection limits ranged from 0.05 ppbv for 2,4-dinitrobenzene to 2.6 ppbv for chrysene. Phthalates were the most abundant among other SVOCs, whereas fluorine and dichlorobiphenyl were the most abundant among the PAHs and PCBs, respectively. The I/O ratios of most SVOCs were < 1, indicating that the outdoor air was the main source of indoor pollutants. The method demonstrated: (1) accurate and efficient for various SVOCs determination, which allowed assessment of the factors affecting their levels in the sampling locations, and (2) the capability of reliable use of recent technology which eliminates the disadvantages of using sorbents and solvents by the current methods.
ABSTRACT The equilibria and kinetics of formation of 1:1 iron(III) complex with pyridoxol have be... more ABSTRACT The equilibria and kinetics of formation of 1:1 iron(III) complex with pyridoxol have been studied over the pH range 1.00–2.50 in aqueous media. The ligand species was the dipolar ion of pyridoxol. The least square procedures were used to calculate the stability constant (β) of the metal complex from spectrophotometric measurements, in the wavelength range 460–540 nm at 25.0°C and ionic strength 0.5 M KCl/HCl. The logarithm of the stability constant of the 1:1 complex was (4.47 ± 0.04). The kinetics of the reactions were carried out by the stopped-flow technique. From the hydrogen-ion dependence of the reaction rate it can be shown that complex formation occurs between Fe3+ and pyridoxol.
A total of 800 indoor (I) and outdoor (O) air samples from eight large office buildings (LOBs) we... more A total of 800 indoor (I) and outdoor (O) air samples from eight large office buildings (LOBs) were analyzed for 78 VOCs using the latest sampling and preconcentration technology. Of these VOCs, 73 and 66 were detected in the I and O samples, respectively, at various levels and proportions. The I/O ratios were > 1, and ethanol exhibited the highest ratio of 14.7. The levels of aliphatic hydrocarbons were higher in LOBs located in the southern region of Kuwait, where the majority of industrial activities are located. By contrast, these levels were significantly lower in LOBs located in the northern and far northern regions, where industrial activities are absent. There was evidence of CFCs leaking from HVAC systems in several of the LOBs. BTEX inter-species ratios suggest that vehicular emissions contributed less to the outdoor air composition at the LOB at Jahra compared to other LOBs. Alcohols and carbonyls were the first and second most abundant classes of chemicals, respective...
Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology, 2007
ABSTRACT Salting out of acetic acid from aqueous solutions containing various concentrations of s... more ABSTRACT Salting out of acetic acid from aqueous solutions containing various concentrations of sodium chloride into some organic solvents has been studied at various temperatures. The solvents include cyclohexane, carbon tetrachloride, 1,2-dichloroethane, isopropyl ether, 2-pentanone and 1-heptanol. The results are consistent with a transfer mechanism involving monomer partitioning, dimerization and dimer return to the aqueous phase. Factors favoring monomer partitioning such as rise in both temperature and salt level retard dimer return, a process which is found to be significant in dimerization-enhancing solvents. The sensitivity of various solvents towards salt effect increases in the order 1-heptanol &lt; isopropylether &lt; 1,2-dichloroethane &lt; 2-pentanone &lt; cyclohexane &lt; carbon tetrachloride which generally parallels in the reverse order the extent of stabilization of the acid by various solvent interactions.
Chemical analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semivolatiles (SVs), including pestici... more Chemical analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semivolatiles (SVs), including pesticides, was performed on 623 and 568 samples, respectively, of household drinking water, as well as on 113 samples from 71 brands of bottled water available in Kuwaiti markets. The analysis was performed according to United States Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA) Methods 524.2 and 525.2. Nine VOCs and eight SVs were found in household water. Furthermore, between one and seven of 12 VOCs were detected in 93% of the bottled water brands. All bottled waters were found to be completely free of SVs. Styrene was the main pollutant found in all brands packaged in polystyrene containers of sizes 200-mL and 250-mL, with levels generally higher than the WHO guideline value of 20 microg/L. The levels of styrene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylenes were found to increase with storage time, which indicates that these VOCs were migrating from the container material. No effect was detected due to changes in the storage temperature. All detected VOCs and SVs in household and bottled waters, except styrene, were found at concentrations much lower than those established as safe by WHO guidelines and US-EPA maximum contaminant levels (MCLs), respectively.
International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology
Exposure to various groups of SVOCs, particularly in the indoor air, is of increasing concern wor... more Exposure to various groups of SVOCs, particularly in the indoor air, is of increasing concern worldwide. These groups include PAHs, PCBs, phthalate esters, organochlorines, and many others, which are classified among the priority organic pollutants. A new method was developed and optimized for simultaneous whole air sampling using recent canister/helium diffusion technology followed by online cryogenic trapping, concentration of the SVOCs, and direct on-column injection into the GC/MS. The method was optimized using 25 SVOCs (seven of PAHs, eight of PCBs, four of phthalates, three OCs, and three of others) and tested in the analysis of 294 air samples, which were collected from the outdoor and the indoor at eight large office buildings on 21 different dates from January 2011 to August 2011. The method detection limits ranged from 0.05 ppbv for 2,4-dinitrobenzene to 2.6 ppbv for chrysene. Phthalates were the most abundant among other SVOCs, whereas fluorine and dichlorobiphenyl were the most abundant among the PAHs and PCBs, respectively. The I/O ratios of most SVOCs were < 1, indicating that the outdoor air was the main source of indoor pollutants. The method demonstrated: (1) accurate and efficient for various SVOCs determination, which allowed assessment of the factors affecting their levels in the sampling locations, and (2) the capability of reliable use of recent technology which eliminates the disadvantages of using sorbents and solvents by the current methods.
ABSTRACT The equilibria and kinetics of formation of 1:1 iron(III) complex with pyridoxol have be... more ABSTRACT The equilibria and kinetics of formation of 1:1 iron(III) complex with pyridoxol have been studied over the pH range 1.00–2.50 in aqueous media. The ligand species was the dipolar ion of pyridoxol. The least square procedures were used to calculate the stability constant (β) of the metal complex from spectrophotometric measurements, in the wavelength range 460–540 nm at 25.0°C and ionic strength 0.5 M KCl/HCl. The logarithm of the stability constant of the 1:1 complex was (4.47 ± 0.04). The kinetics of the reactions were carried out by the stopped-flow technique. From the hydrogen-ion dependence of the reaction rate it can be shown that complex formation occurs between Fe3+ and pyridoxol.
A total of 800 indoor (I) and outdoor (O) air samples from eight large office buildings (LOBs) we... more A total of 800 indoor (I) and outdoor (O) air samples from eight large office buildings (LOBs) were analyzed for 78 VOCs using the latest sampling and preconcentration technology. Of these VOCs, 73 and 66 were detected in the I and O samples, respectively, at various levels and proportions. The I/O ratios were > 1, and ethanol exhibited the highest ratio of 14.7. The levels of aliphatic hydrocarbons were higher in LOBs located in the southern region of Kuwait, where the majority of industrial activities are located. By contrast, these levels were significantly lower in LOBs located in the northern and far northern regions, where industrial activities are absent. There was evidence of CFCs leaking from HVAC systems in several of the LOBs. BTEX inter-species ratios suggest that vehicular emissions contributed less to the outdoor air composition at the LOB at Jahra compared to other LOBs. Alcohols and carbonyls were the first and second most abundant classes of chemicals, respective...
Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology, 2007
ABSTRACT Salting out of acetic acid from aqueous solutions containing various concentrations of s... more ABSTRACT Salting out of acetic acid from aqueous solutions containing various concentrations of sodium chloride into some organic solvents has been studied at various temperatures. The solvents include cyclohexane, carbon tetrachloride, 1,2-dichloroethane, isopropyl ether, 2-pentanone and 1-heptanol. The results are consistent with a transfer mechanism involving monomer partitioning, dimerization and dimer return to the aqueous phase. Factors favoring monomer partitioning such as rise in both temperature and salt level retard dimer return, a process which is found to be significant in dimerization-enhancing solvents. The sensitivity of various solvents towards salt effect increases in the order 1-heptanol &lt; isopropylether &lt; 1,2-dichloroethane &lt; 2-pentanone &lt; cyclohexane &lt; carbon tetrachloride which generally parallels in the reverse order the extent of stabilization of the acid by various solvent interactions.
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Papers by Abdel-Sattar Abu-Shady