I have TiO2 powder form, and I want to use it for in vitro micropopulation. Please tell me how I prepare different concentrations of molarity and what solvent I should use for the preparation before adding it to the fungal medium.
TiO2 has very low solubility in near-neutral aqueous solutions.
You can reach moderate concentrations either in fairly concentrated sulfuric acid (preferably hot), or in concentrated (~30%) hydrogen peroxide, or in combinations of both. But these "solvents" are not friendly to any living things.
Depending on the concentrations you need, you can try to use a titanate ester, such as Ti(OEt)4. But even in that case concentrations achievable will be very low in the absence of strong complexing agents that can stabilize Ti(4+) in solution. (The titanate ester will hydrolyze in the aqueous solution, and the hydrolysis products will gradually phase-separate.)
Faten M. Edries
Molar concentration or molarity is most commonly expressed in units of moles of solute per liter of solution. Therefore, to prepare 1 mol/l TiO2, it is necessary to dissolve 48 + 16 + 16 = 80 g TiO2 in 1 l of solvent. Such a solution can be made if a substance breaks down into ions or molecules in solution. If the powder particles do not break down into ions or molecules, this method of expressing concentration is not used, but another method of percentage or volume concentration is used. However, having explained this in advance, you can use your arbitrary molar concentration to disperse the powder in the solvent if the reviewer allows it.
For example, if you want to prepare a 0.1 M TiO2 solution and your powder is in gram, Weigh out the desired amount of TiO2 powder (e.g., 0.1 grams). Determine the volume of solvent needed to achieve 0.1 M concentration (e.g., 1 liter for 0.1 M solution). Dissolve the 0.1 grams of TiO2 powder in the 1 liter of solvent. Stir or sonicate the solution until the TiO2 powder is completely dissolved.
As for the solvent choice, it depends on the specific requirements of your fungal medium and experimental setup. Water is a commonly used solvent for preparing TiO2 solutions for biological applications due to its compatibility with many biological systems. However, if your fungal medium requires a different solvent, ensure that the solvent is compatible with both the medium and TiO2. Always consider any potential interactions between the solvent and TiO2, as well as any effects on the biological system you are studying.
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