The present invention relates to monolithic bodies, uses thereof and processes for the preparation thereof. Certain embodiments of the present invention relate to the use of a monolithic body in the preparation of a radioactive substance, for example a radiopharmaceutical, as part of a microfluidic flow system and a process for the preparation of such a monolithic body.

The present invention relates to a leakage-preventing high performance desiccant composition and a preparation method therefor, wherein a solid desiccant composition includes calcium chloride (CaCl.sub.2), magnesium chloride (MgCl.sub.2), and metal oxide, wherein the metal oxide may be calcium oxide (CaO), and a gel desiccant composition includes metal chloride and an absorbent polymer, wherein the metal chloride may be calcium chloride (CaCl.sub.2) and magnesium chloride (MgCl.sub.2), and the absorbent polymer may be CMC (carboxymethyl cellulose).

Irradiated agarose gels and compositions containing irradiated agarose gels are described, along with methods of production and use. Methods of forming an irradiated agarose composition include irradiating an agarose in dry form to produce an irradiated agarose, dissolving the irradiated agarose in a solvent to form a solution containing irradiated agarose, and gelling the solution containing irradiated agarose to form a gel containing irradiated agarose. The resulting gel containing irradiated agarose may have a reduced gel strength, making it more suitable for use as an injectable, even at high concentrations.

Irradiated agarose gels and compositions containing irradiated agarose gels are described, along with methods of production and use. Methods of forming an irradiated agarose composition include irradiating an agarose in dry form to produce an irradiated agarose, dissolving the irradiated agarose in a solvent to form a solution containing irradiated agarose, and gelling the solution containing irradiated agarose to form a gel containing irradiated agarose. The resulting gel containing irradiated agarose may have a reduced gel strength, making it more suitable for use as an injectable, even at high concentrations.

The subject invention provides materials, devices and methods for detecting, determining, monitoring and/or extracting trace metals such as cadmium, lead, copper, chromium, cobalt, nickel, zinc, manganese, mercury, and vanadium in the environmental, biological, pharmaceutical, and potable water samples. The subject invention also provides formulations and method for synthesizing the trace metal-extracting materials.

The subject invention provides materials, devices and methods for detecting, determining, monitoring and/or extracting trace metals such as cadmium, lead, copper, chromium, cobalt, nickel, zinc, manganese, mercury, and vanadium in the environmental, biological, pharmaceutical, and potable water samples. The subject invention also provides formulations and method for synthesizing the trace metal-extracting materials.

Disclosed are methods for critical point drying a composite material. After exposing the composite material to a supercritical fluid, the composite material dries as the supercritical fluid evaporates with reduced pressure. The composite materials are useful as chromatographic separation media.

Yttria containing hybrid organic-inorganic sol-gels may be used in coatings for capillary microextraction, optionally hyphenated to online HPLC analysis. The sol-gel reaction mixture can use an yttrium trialkoxyalkoxide, such as yttrium trimethoxyethoxide, and a [bis(hydroxyalkyl)-amino-alkyl]-terminated polydialkyl/arylsiloxane, such as [bis(hydroxyethyl)-amine] (BHEA)-terminated polydimethylsiloxane, that can undergo hydrolysis and polycondensation, to form coating materials. Capillaries coated with such sol-gels can have improved extraction efficiency compared, e.g., to pure yttria-based coatings. The CME-HPLC can analyze water samples containing analytes of varied polarity, with excellent extraction of amides, phenols, alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons and detection limits ranging from 0.18 to 7.35 ng/mL (S/N=3). Such capillaries can exhibit solvent stability at pH 0 to 14, RSD % between 0.6 to 6.8% (n=3), at a preparative reproducibility RSD between 4.1 and 9.9%.

Packed bed gel material cleaning vessel, has an internal processing volume, to contain the gel, delimited by a circumferential, axially extending, upright vessel wall at both axial ends sealed by a top vessel wall and an opposite bottom vessel wall, the internal processing volume is above 10 litre; sensors of the vessel monitor the filling level of the vessel. A bottom filter completely covers the vessel bottom wall A circumferential, axially extending, cylindrical vertical filter is provided a short radial distance, e.g. between 1 and 20 millimetre internally from, parallel and concentrically with, the upright vessel wall, providing a torus like flow gap concentrical with the upright vessel wall.

Packed bed gel material cleaning vessel, has an internal processing volume, to contain the gel, delimited by a circumferential, axially extending, upright vessel wall at both axial ends sealed by a top vessel wall and an opposite bottom vessel wall, the internal processing volume is above 10 litre; sensors of the vessel monitor the filling level of the vessel. A bottom filter completely covers the vessel bottom wall A circumferential, axially extending, cylindrical vertical filter is provided a short radial distance, e.g. between 1 and 20 millimetre internally from, parallel and concentrically with, the upright vessel wall, providing a torus like flow gap concentrical with the upright vessel wall.