“…Chemically modified silicas are used extensively in many scientific and technological applications, for example, as HPLC bonded phases for specific separations [2,3,[9][10][11], supports for catalysts in specific organic reactions [12], and supports for microorganisms [13] and pesticides [14], as well as for the immobilization of humic acid [15] and the extraction of metallic cations from aqueous and nonaqueous solvents, by forming immobilized metallic complexes, which present variable compositions and distorted geometries [16]. Our research group has extensively studied this last application, in order to find kinetic and thermodynamic data on the interactions between metals and modified surfaces [17][18][19][20].…”