Solvothermal and surfactant-free synthesis of crystalline Nb(2)O(5), Ta(2)O(5), HfO(2), and Co-doped HfO(2) nanoparticles

A simple route to niobium, hafnium and tantalum oxide nanocrystals using a nonaqueous sol-gel route based on the solvothermal reaction of the corresponding metal chlorides with benzyl alcohol is presented. This approach can easily be extended to the preparation of high quality Co-doped HfO(2) nanoparticles of uniform size and shape and with a homogenous distribution of the magnetic ions. The structural characterization of all these nanomaterials as well as the magnetic properties of pure and doped hafnia, with special attention to the doping efficiency, are discussed. The obtained Co-doped hafnia exhibits paramagnetic properties with very weak antiferromagnetic interactions between Co ions moments.     

Extraction of lutetium(III) from aqueous solutions by employing a single fibre‐supported liquid membrane

Transport behaviour of Lu(III) across a polypropylene hollow fibre‐supported liquid membrane containing di(2‐ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (DEHPA) in dihexyl ether as a carrier has been studied. The donor phase was LuCl₃ in the buffer solution consisting of 0.2 M sodium acetate at pH 2.5–5.0. A miniaturised system with a single hollow fibre has been operated in a batch mode. The concentration of Lu(III) was determined by indirect voltammetric method using Zn–EDTA complex. The effect of pH and volume of the donor phase, DEHPA concentration in the organic (liquid membrane) phase, the time of extraction and the content of the acceptor phase on the Lu(III) extraction and stripping behaviour was investigated. The results were discussed in terms of the pertraction and removal efficiency, the memory effect and the mean flux of Lu(III). The optimal conditions for the removal of ¹⁷⁷Lu(III) from labelled ¹⁷⁷Lu‐radiopharmaceuticals were discussed and identified. The removal efficiency of Lu(III) greater than 99% was achieved at pH of the donor phase between 3.5 and 5.0 using DEHPA concentration in the organic phase of 0.47 M and the ratio of the donor to the acceptor phase of 182.     

Applicability of alkyl-bonded ultra-pure silica stationary phases for gradient reversed-phase HPLC of folates with conventional and volatile buffers under highly aqueous conditions

Applicability of several alkyl-bonded silica stationary phases was tested for gradient RP-HPLC of folates under highly aqueous conditions. High retention of folates was achieved on alternative phases with enhanced polarity and classical phases with higher carbon content. Phases exhibiting polar secondary interactions were found to provide better selectivity for late-eluting folates, whereas selectivity for early-eluting folates was mostly dependent on hydrophobic interactions. Best selectivity in phosphate buffered mobile phase was achieved on polar-endcapped silica phases (Aquasil C18 and HyPurity Aquastar) followed by alternative Atlantis dC18. Classical phases exhibited poorer separation of 10-formyl-folic acid and 5-formyl-tetrahydrofolate, but it could be considerably improved by increasing the buffer pH. Strong secondary interactions of ion-exchange character on polar-embedded phases resulted in marked peak deterioration, loss of recovery and dramatic changes in retention behaviour for early- and late-eluting folates when changing the mobile phase composition and pH. Therefore, polar-embedded phases such as HyPurity Advance were found to be unsuitable for separating folates. Stationary phases exhibited peak deterioration when using volatile buffer of low ionic strength. Better results were obtained with classical phases, whereas alternative phases showed not only peak deterioration but also a decrease in recovery and poorer selectivity due to increased secondary interactions in volatile buffer.     

Defect Distributions Related to Weakly Convergent Sequences in Bessel-Type Spaces $${H_{\Lambda }^{-s,p}}$$

We consider microlocal defect distributions associated to a weakly convergent sequences \(u_n\) in \(H^{-s,p}_{\Lambda }\) and \(v_n\) in \(H^{s+m,q}_{\Lambda }\) through the space of pseudo-differential operators with the symbols in \((s^{m,N+1}_\Lambda )_0\). Symbols correspond to a weight function \(\Lambda \) determining a quasi-elliptic symbol. Results are applied to partial differential equations with symbols related to weights of the type \(\Lambda \).     

Intraspecific Diversity within <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ganoderma lucidum</Emphasis> in the Production of Laccase and Mn-Oxidizing Peroxidases During Plant Residues Fermentation

Comparison of the potential for laccase and Mn-oxidizing peroxidases synthesis by ten strains of Ganoderma lucidum, originating from different worldwide areas, during solid-state fermentation of selected plant raw materials was the aim of this study. The great intraspecific variability in the production of analyzed enzymes as well as the dependence of the enzyme activity on plant raw materials were reported. The strain HAI 957 was the best laccase producer in the presence of corn stem, as a unique carbon source (129.46 U/L). The highest level of Mn-dependent peroxidase activity was noted after wheat straw fermentation by G. lucidum HAI 246 (78.64 U/L), while the maximal versatile peroxidase production (59.72 U/L) was observed in strain HAI 957 in the medium with oak sawdust.     

Recent trends in the liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis of organic contaminants in environmental samples

An overview of liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry methods used for the determination of trace organic contaminants in environmental samples is presented. Among the organic contaminants the focus is given on five groups of emerging contaminants that raised most concern as environmental contaminants and therefore attracted attention of a research community: pharmaceuticals, drugs of abuse, polar pesticides, perfluorinated compounds and nanoparticles. Various aspects of current LC–MS methodology, using tandem and hybrid MS instruments, including sample preparation, are discussed.     

Synthesis and photophysical properties of oligoarylenes with a pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine core

The palladium-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura reaction of 2,4-dichloropyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine with aryl boronic acids has been studied. Pd(OAc)₂/dicyclohexyl(2-biphenyl)phosphine/K₃PO₄ was found to be an efficient catalyst system to prepare 4-aryl-2-chloro- and 2,4-diarylpyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines. Novel non-linear molecules consisting of a pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine core and aryl branches have been elucidated as blue light-emitters with fluorescence quantum yields ranging from 4% to 67% in THF solution. The impact of an electron-withdrawing t-BuOCO group attached to the pyrrole ring of pyrrolopyrimidine derivatives on optical properties is discussed.     

Cyclic Conjugation in Benzo-Annelated Perylenes. How Empty is the “Empty” Ring?

Summary. Cyclic conjugation in benzo-annelated perylenes is studied by means of the energy-effects of their six-membered rings. Classical theoretical approaches (based on Kekulé structures, Clar formulae, or conjugated circuits) predict that the central ring in benzo-annelated perylenes is empty and thus negligibly contributes to cyclic conjugation. Our calculations show that this is true only to a limited degree. In particular, rings angularly annelated relative to the central ring significantly increase the extent of its cyclic conjugation.     

1H NMR and DFT study of proton exchange in heterogeneous structures of pyridine-N-oxide/HCl/DCl/H2O

Moderately narrow 1H NMR signals were observed in the solid-phase obtained from pyridine-N-oxide (PyO)...HCl solutions in acetonitrile/H2O after heterogeneous phase separation. High-resolution 1H NMR spectra are compared with those of crystalline PyO...HCl and PyO...DCl. It is concluded that partially resolved peaks in 1H NMR spectra of solids are related with heterogeneity of the spin system and the presence of different mobile H-bond clusters containing PyO, HCl, DCl and water molecules. Some part of non-bonded water or HCl molecules is captured in the cavities of crystalline samples. The attribution of the 1H NMR signals was based on the density functional theory calculation of proton magnetic screening tensor of the most expected H-bond structures in the 6-311G** basis taking into account the solvent effect by the polarized continuum model.