Dendrimers with electroactive units in the core or in each branching centre

Interest in dendrimers is mostly focused on their capability of performing specific functions which, in their turn, derive from the possibility of incorporating in predetermined sites of the structure selected functional groups (‘pieces of information’). From a topological viewpoint we can distinguish dendrimers containing electroactive units (a) in the core, (b) in the branches, (c) in the surface, (d) in the core and in the branches, (e) in the core and in the surface, (f) in the branches and in the surface, and (g) in the core, branches and surface. In this article we review the behaviour of dendrimers with electroactive units buried in the core and dendrimers with electroactive units in each branching centre investigated in our laboratory. To cite this article: M. Venturi, P. Ceroni, C. R. Chimie 6 (2003).     

Effect of a d.c. electric field on the fluorescence spectra of cationic polymethine dyes in a polymer film

We have observed that in an external d.c. electric field, in the differential fluorescence spectra of both symmetric and asymmetric polymethine dyes in a polymer film, the intensity of the emission in the long-wavelength region of the band increases while the intensity in the short-wavelength region decreases. In symmetric polymethines, these effects are opposite to those in the differential absorption spectra, while in asymmetric polymethines they are symbatic. The spectral effects were interpreted by a change in the probability of the vibronic transitions due to redistribution of electron density in the chromophore, in the ground state and the excited state of the dye, in an external electric field. Translated from Teoreticheskaya i éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 44, No. 6, pp. 343–347, November–December, 2008.     

Radiochemistry teaching and research activities in Brazil

Summary Much concern has been expressed lately about the decline of teaching and research activities in radiochemistry in many countries, as was discussed in an IAEA Technical Meeting in Antalya, Turkey, in 2002, and also at MTAA-11 in Guildford, UK. In the IAEA meeting, a survey was presented about the current situation in different regions of the world (Eastern Europe, East and West Asia, Africa, North America and Latin America) by experts of each region. In the case of Brazil, which has nuclear research reactors and also cyclotrons in operation, the teaching and research activities in radiochemistry are concentrated in the three main institutes of the Brazilian Nuclear Energy Commission, in the University of S?o Paulo and in other universities, in different regions of the country. In the present paper, a closer look is given to the radiochemistry teaching and research activities that are being conducted nowadays in Brazil, comprising: number of radiochemistry courses and students being formed, main research areas being conducted, as well as research and production of radioisotopes for nuclear medicine, using nuclear reactors and cyclotrons.     

黄鸣龙——我国有机化学的一位先驱

黄鸣龙院士(1898-1979)1919年浙江医药专科学校毕业,1924年德国柏林大学有机药物化学博士;1924-1934年任浙江医专教授、主任,卫生署化学部主任;1934-1940年在欧洲先灵公司等从事研究工作;1940年回国在昆明任中研院化学所研究员,兼任西南联大教授;1945年赴美在哈佛大学,默克公司从事研究工作。1952年绕道欧洲回国,先后在中国人民解放军医学科学院化学系和中国科学院上海有机化学研究所任研究员。1955年当选为中国科学院学部委员(院士)。黄先生一生从事有机化学的教育和研究工作,他在有机化学的“结构与机理”以及“反应和合成”二大方面都作出了在国内外具有深远影响的工作。20世纪40年代黄先生发现了变质山道年4个立体异构体的循环转变,堪称立体化学的经典之作;1948年发表了黄鸣龙还原反应;1952年归国后引领和发展了我国的甾体化学研究,带领了我国甾体药物的生产发展,是我国甾体药物工业的奠基人。黄先生治学严谨,既重视应用研究,又强调基础研究;关注学习新知识、新概念,又更重视实验技术。黄先生教书育人,身体力行,是我国有机化学发展的先驱者和奠基人。     

Sol-gel Transition of Methylcellulose Solution in the Coexistence of Hexadecyltrimethylammonium Bromide and Sodium Chloride

The sol-gel transition of methylcellulose (MC) solution in the presence of NaCl and hexade-cyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB), together with MC/NaCl solution in the presence of HTAB and MC/HATB solution in the presence of NaCl, was investigated by the rheolog-ical measurements. It has been found that the sol-gel transition temperature of MC solution decreases linearly with the concentration of NaCl in solution but increases linearly with the concentration of HTAB in solution, respectively. However, the sol-gel transition temperature of MC/NaCl solution in the presence of HTAB keeps the same value, independent of theconcentration of HTAB in solution. On the other hand, the sol-gel transition temperature of MC/HTAB solution decreases linearly with the concentration of NaCl in solution. The experimental results suggest that, for MC/NaCl solution in the presence of HTAB, the salt-induced spherical micelles of HTAB should have formed in bulk solution. For MC solution in the absence of NaCl, no spherical micelles have been formed in bulk solution, though the concentration of HTAB in our experiment is almost one order of magnitude higher than the critical micelle concentration of HTAB in polymer-free solution. In fact, due to adsorption of HTAB on MC chains, the realconcentration of HTAB in bulk solution, is much less than the apparent concentration of HTAB dissolved in MC solution.     

Research progress of graphene-based nanomaterials for the environmental remediation

Graphene is a two-dimensional nanomaterial with huge surface area,high carrier mobility and high mechanical strength.Because of its great potential in nanotechnology and environmental protection,it has attracted much attention in environmental and energy fields since its discovery in 2004.Although graphene is a star material,many reviews have introduced its use in terms of energy,the research progress in the field of environment,especially water pollution control,has been rarely reported.Here,we review exhaustively the research progress of graphene-based materials in environmental pollution remediation in the past ten years.Firstly,the advantages and classification of graphene were introduced.Secondly,the research progress and main achievements of graphene and its composites in the fields of photocatalytic degradation,pollutant adsorption and water treatment were emphatically described,and the mechanism of action in the above fields was summarized.Finally,we discuss the problems existing in the preparation and summarize the application of graphene in the environment.     

Analytical strategies to determine antibiotic residues in fish

The accelerated growth of aquaculture has resulted in a series of harmful effects to human health. The widespread and unrestricted use of antibiotics in this industry, to prevent bacterial infections, leads to remaining amounts in the aquatic environment. This has resulted in the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in aquaculture environments, in the increase in antibiotic resistance in fish pathogens as well as in the transfer of these resistance determinants to human pathogens. Moreover, the use of large amounts of antibiotics may lead to the presence of residual antibiotics in fish tissue and fish products. Fluoroquinolones, tetracyclines, penicillins, sulphonamides and other antibiotics, exhibiting activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, are widely used for the treatment and prevention of diseases in fish. An extended and comprehensive review on the recent analytical methodologies concerning antibiotic residues in fish reported in the literature is provided in the present article. Emphasis is given on sample preparation regarding isolation and purification, chromatographic conditions and method validation according to legislation. Results of published assays are comparatively presented and criticised.     

Determination of Occurrence Characteristics of Heavy Metals in Soil and Water Environments in Tianshan Mountains,Central Asia

China has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, but this economic development has important implications for environmental changes in this country. Our research was to quantify the presence of heavy metals in soil and water environments in the Tianshan Mountains region of China, associated with the economic development of this region. We used anomaly analysis, correlation analysis, and principal component analysis to assess the occurrence characteristics of heavy metals in this area. Results showed that Co, Cr, As, and Ni are more prevalent in water environments than in soil environments; in contrast, Cd, Zn, Pb, Hg, and Mn are more prevalent in soil samples than in water samples. This analysis grouped 10 heavy metals in soil and water environments into three principal components. In soil environments, the prevalence order was Co, Ni, Cr, As > Mn, Zn, Pb > Hg, Cd, Cu. In water environments, the order was Cu, Co, Ni, Cr, As > Hg, Mn, Zn > Cd, Pb. It is possible to distinguish between the natural and the anthropogenic sources of heavy metals in the Tianshan Mountains. With the current rapid economic development in the Tianshan Mountains, anthropogenic sources are playing principal roles in serious heavy metal accumulations in this region. This problem warrants immediate and widespread attention to prevent further deterioration of the soil and water environments.     

The heat of dissolution of uranyl nitrate in aqueous nitrate solutions

Conclusions A model has been suggested to explain the observed relationship between the measured heats of dissolution of uranyl nitrate in aqueous nitrate solutions and the concentration of the salting-out agent. The model describes the change in the structure of water in the solution with change in its concentration. On the one hand, a destruction of the water structure by ions occurs, which is weakened with increase in the distance from the ion, and leads to such irregularity in the distribution of water molecules in the solution that the mean number of molecules of water in unit volume is increased with increase in the distance from the ions. In experiments on the heat of dissolution this increase leads to increased hydration of the uranyl cation and reduction in the endothermicity of the dissolution with increase in the concentration of the solution. On the other hand, an interaction occurs between the ions of the salting-out agent and the water molecules in the solution, leading to the opposite result: There is an increase in the mean number of water molecules of the solution in unit volume in the direction of these ions. In experiments on the heat of dissolution this is revealed in the dehydration of the uranyl cation, and correspondingly in an increase in the endothermicity of the dissolution with increase in the concentration of the solution. The proposed model is in harmony with data on vapor pressure above the solutions (the relationship between the activity coefficient of the water and the concentration of the solution).Translated from Zhurnal Strukturnoi Khimii. Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 143–150, March–April. 1962     

Polymerization of α-amino acid N-carboxy anhydride. IX. Copolymerization of α-amino acid N-carboxy anhydride in heterogeneous system

Copolymerization of NCA's was undertaken in a heterogeneous system in acetonitrile, which is not a solvent of the polypeptides. The reactivity ratio was calculated by using the Lewis-Mayo equation. Further, the conversion rate in the copolymerization and the configuration of the copolymer produced were compared with those of the copolymerization in the homogeneous system in nitrobenzene, in which the copolypeptides are swollen. The rate of copolymerization in acetonitrile was between the rates of polymerization of the individual monomers. It has been reported that the configuration of the copolymer obtained in dimethylformamide, in which the copolypeptides are swollen, is of the block type. On the other hand, many polypeptides obtained in acetonitrile, which is not a solvent of the copolypeptides, had a random configuration near to an alternating configuration.     

大气臭氧化学研究进展

臭氧是大气化学中的核心物种。在平流层中，臭氧层可以吸收对生物有害的紫外辐射，对地球生命起保护伞作用。在对流层大气中，适量臭氧对清洁大气是有益的。但是，由于对流层中臭氧前体物排放量的增加，特别是在大城市，产生的高浓度臭氧会对大气环境造成严重污染，对人类、动植物和生态环境具有极大危害。臭氧的研究一般结合外场观测、实验室烟雾箱模拟和计算机数值模拟进行。深入开展大气臭氧化学研究，不仅有助于全面深入理解大气氧化过程以及全面掌握区域乃至全球大气自净能力，而且能为对流层污染控制提供科学依据和方案。本文总结了近年来有关臭氧化学的研究进展，论述了臭氧问题与人类当前面临的一些主要环境问题间的相互关系；重点综述了近年来有关南极臭氧空洞、中纬度地区臭氧低值和北极地区臭氧的损耗机理及其发展趋势；综述了臭氧与大气光化学和气溶胶间的耦合关系，并结合我国实际情况，提出了大气臭氧化学尚待深入开展研究的一些重要科学问题。     

Simultaneous liquid chromatographic determination of 39 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in indoor and outdoor air and application to a survey on indoor air pollution in Fuji, Japan

An analytical method was established for the simultaneous determination of 39 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in air. The method was applied to a survey of gaseous and particulate PAHs in household indoor air. The survey was performed in 21 houses in the summer of 1999 and in 20 houses in the winter of 1999-2000 in Fuji, Japan. Thirty-eight PAHs were determined in indoor and outdoor air in the summer, and 39 PAHs were determined in indoor and outdoor air in the winter. The concentrations of gaseous PAHs in indoor air tended to be higher than those in outdoor air in the summer and winter. The concentrations of particulate PAHs in indoor air were the same as or lower than those in outdoor air in the summer and winter. PAH profiles, correlations between PAH concentrations, and multiple regression analysis were used to determine the factors affecting the indoor PAH concentrations. These results showed that gaseous PAHs in indoor air were primarily from indoor emission sources, especially during the summer, and that indoor particulate PAH concentrations were significantly influenced by outdoor air pollution.     

Grand canonical ensemble molecular dynamics simulation of water solubility in polyamide-6,6

Grand canonical ensemble molecular dynamics simulation is employed to calculate the solubility of water in polyamide-6,6. It is shown that performing two separate simulations, one in the polymeric phase and one in the gaseous phase, is sufficient to find the phase coexistence point. In this method, the chemical potential of water in the polymer phase is expanded as a first-order Taylor series in terms of pressure. Knowing the chemical potential of water in the polymer phase in terms of pressure, another simulation for water in the gaseous phase, in the grand canonical ensemble, is done in which the target chemical potential is set in terms of pressure in the gas phase. The phase coexistence point can easily be calculated from the results of these two independent simulations. Our calculated sorption isotherms and solubility coefficients of water in polyamide-6,6, over a wide range of temperatures and pressures, agree with experimental data.     

Photochemical behavior of some p-styrylstilbenes and related compounds: spectral properties and photoisomerization in solution and in solid state

The spectral properties and Z,E-photoisomerizations of three 4-styrylstilbenes, a 4,4'-bis(P-methylstyryl)benzene and a 4,4'-distyrylstilbene were investigated in solution and in the solid state. Some notable features of the absorption and fluorescence spectra due to the structures and the phases (solution or solid) were observed, especially the Stokes shifts. Interesting photochemical behaviors in solution and in the solid state were also found. While the (E,Z)-4-styrylstilbenes undergo a one-way photoisomerization to their E,E-isomers with almost equal rates in solution, their quantum yields in the solid state decrease with increasing substituent size at the terminal aromatic rings. On the other hand, the 4,4'-bis(beta-methylstyryl)benzene undergoes a mutual photoisomerization in solution, but its E,Z-isomer isomerizes in a one-way manner to the E,E-isomer in the solid state. Additionally, the (Z,E,Z)-4,4'-styrylstilbene was found to undergo a one-way photoisomerization to the E,E,E-isomer via the E,E,Z-isomer in solution and the crystalline E,E,Z-isomer to the E,E,E-isomer in the solid state.     

ANNUAL VARIATIONS OF E-P CROSS SECTION AND TROPOSPHERIC WESTERLY ACCELERATION

This is one part of the series study on the forcing of waves on basic flow, in which theannual variations of E- P cross section are used to compare the wave- mean flow interactionsin the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Results show that in either hemisphere, wave-meanflow interaction is very strong in winter, and very weak in summer. External forcing sourcefor planetary waves in the Southern Hemisphere appears to be rather weak not only in summer,but also in winter. It is pointed out that in the troposphere. since the mass circulation isstrong, and since the static stability is small, in the dynamic equation, the inertial effect ofthe residual circulation becomes important in balancing that of the E- P flux divergence.Therefore, when the westerly acceleration in the troposphere is studied, both terms of E-Pflux and residual circulation should be considered. It turns out to be more convenient to usethe conventional Euler system to investigate the direct contribution of eddies to the meanflow.     

Proton phototransfer in a series of ortho-hydroxy derivatives of 2,5-diaryl-1,3-oxazole and 2,5-diaryl-1,3,4-oxadiazole in polystyrene films

Proton transfer in the lower excited singlet state has been examined for ortho-hydroxy derivatives of 2,5-diaryl-1,3-oxazole and 2,5-diaryl-1,3,4-oxadiazole in polystyrene films, as this largely determines the spectral characteristics. There is found to be a substantial reduction in the radiationless deactivation in the product from that reaction, namely the phototautomeric form, which is the basic reason for the low quantum yield in fluorescence in liquid solutions. These changes are explained from the viewpoint of a reduction in the probabilities of high-amplitude intramolecular motions in the excited phototautomeric forms of these ortho-hydroxy derivatives in a polymer. Chemical Research Institute, V. Karazin Kharkov National University, 4 pl. Svobody, Kharkov 310077, Ukraine. Translated from Teoreticheskaya i éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 35, No. 6, pp. 357–361, November–December, 1999.     

广州市芳村区240例正常婴幼儿头发中微量元素水平分析

测定了广州市芳村区２４０例正常婴幼儿头发中锌、铁、铜、钙、锰、铅、碘等７种元素的含量,并与广州婴幼儿头发元素的含量正常值进行了对照分析。结果表明,不同性别的芳村区婴幼儿头发中微量元素的含量与广州市正常值之间存在显著差异,Ｐ〈０．０１,说明芳村区婴幼儿体内微量元素的含量尚需从各种途径加以提高或控制,以促进儿童体格、智力等方面的发育。     

Electrochemical reduction of the 4,4′-azobis-benzaldehyde and its bis-methylacetal in methanol at a mercury cathode

The electrochemical behaviour of the 4,4′-azobis-benzaldehyde and its bis-methylacetal in methanol solutions, is studied by d.c. polarography, controlled-potential coulometry, and cyclic voltammetry. The polarographic reduction of the 4,4′-azobis-benzaldehyde involves a two-electron and a four-electron wave, corresponding to the reduction of the azo group and the two aldehydic groups, respectively. The addition of HCl in small concentrations, results in the decrease with time of the second wave due to the acetalization of the two aldehydic groups occurring in bulk. The polarographic curves of the 4,4′-azobis-benzaldehyde-bis-methylacetal in methanol, in excess of any strong acid, show a second reduction wave corresponding to the further reduction of the hydrazo compound formed in the first step. This further reduction proceeds via an intermediate step, consisting in the protonation of the hydrazo group, which exhibits an electrosorption current peak in the corresponding cyclic voltammogram.     

Membrane lipids are both the substrates and a mechanistically responsive environment of TMEM16 scramblase proteins

Recent discoveries about functional mechanisms of proteins in the TMEM16 family of phospholipid scramblases have illuminated the dual role of the membrane as both the substrate and a mechanistically responsive environment in the wide range of physiological processes and genetic disorders in which they are implicated. This is highlighted in the review of recent findings from our collaborative investigations of molecular mechanisms of TMEM16 scramblases that emerged from iterative functional, structural, and computational experimentation. In the context of this review, we present new MD simulations and trajectory analyses motivated by the fact that new structural information about the TMEM16 scramblases is emerging from cryo-EM determinations in lipid nanodiscs. Because the functional environment of these proteins in in vivo and in in vitro is closer to flat membranes, we studied comparatively the responses of the membrane to the TMEM16 proteins in flat membranes and nanodiscs. We find that bilayer shapes in the nanodiscs are very different from those observed in the flat membrane systems, but the function-related slanting of the membrane observed at the nhTMEM16 boundary with the protein is similar in the nanodiscs and in the flat bilayers. This changes, however, in the bilayer composed of longer-tail lipids, which is thicker near the phospholipid translocation pathway, which may reflect an enhanced tendency of the long tails to penetrate the pathway and create, as shown previously, a nonconductive environment. These findings support the correspondence between the mechanistic involvement of the lipid environment in the flat membranes, and the nanodiscs. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Amount of sterols and triterpenoids in leaves and petioles of leaf-shedding and standard lines of cotton plant

The amount of free and bound sterols and triterpenoids in the leaf blades and petioles of the variety Tashkent-1 and the deciduous lines L-275 and L-470 in the budding-flowering, maturing, and leaf-fall phases have been compared. In the leaf blades, the maximum accumulation of free sterols in the deciduous lines is observed in an earlier phase than in the variety Tashkent-1, and this is most characteristic for sterols saturated in the C-17 side chain. The dynamics of the change in the content of unsaturated sterols is individual for each line. The nature of the change in the amount of free sterols in the petioles is typical for each line and does not depend on the nature of the sterol for the variety Tashkent-1 this index falls sharply in the leaf-fall phase while for L-275 the process is retarded between the second and third phases, and for L-470 in the same period the amount of these substances rises sharply. In the leaf blades, as a rule, the level of sterol esters changes in parallel with the levels of free sterols, and in the petioles in the antiparallel direction between the first and second phases. In all the samples free and bound amyrin was detected. The dynamics of the change in the amounts of these substances in the three lines were different.Institute of the Chemistry of Plant Substances, Uzbek SSR Academy of Sciences, Tashkent. Institute of Experimental Plant Biology, Uzbek SSR Academy of Sciences, Tashkent. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, Vol. 6, pp. 796–805, November–December, 1989.