Thermal behavior of manganese(II) complexes with pyridine-2,3-dicarboxylic acid

In this study, we analyzed influence of the type of the syntheses used: hydrothermal and non-hydrothermal on pyridine-2,3-dicarboxylic acid (2,3pydcH₂) coordination fashion. Two manganese(II) complexes: [Mn(H₂O)₃(2,3pydc)] _n (1) and [Mn(H₂O)₆][Mn(2,3pydcH)₃]₂ (2) were successfully synthesized from the non-hydrothermal reaction system containing organic ligand and different Mn(II) salts. The received complexes have been prepared and characterized by spectroscopic (IR, Raman), structural (X-ray single crystal), and thermogravimetric methods. The results of the crystal study give some evidence that ligand exhibits various topological structures and interesting properties. Pyridine-2,3-dicarboxylic acid acts as monodicarboxylate N,O-chelating anion (complex 2) or a doubly deprotonated three-dentate-N,O,O?? dicarboxylate ion (complex 1). In the [Mn(H₂O)₆][Mn(2,3pydcH)₃]₂ the coordination geometry around Mn(1) ion can be considered as being distorted octahedron {MnN₃O₃}. The Mn(2) cation possesses the same coordination polyhedron (octahedral). We have also analyzed influence of furnace atmosphere on the thermal behavior and the kind of final product. The sample of (1) decomposes in four stages in N₂ (368?C1073?K) and the final residue is MnO₂. The thermogram of (2) exhibits three main distinct decomposition steps (383?C973?K). A residue of MnO is remained. In both air and nitrogen atmosphere, Mn(II) complexes (1) and (2) keep unchanged over all steps of decomposition. Only the final residues are different (Mn₂O₃ are formed). The course of pyrolysis and molecular structure of the complexes lead to the same conclusion about the strength of metal?Cligand bonds. On the basis of the above results, it is concluded that the thermal stability of the manganese(II) compounds is slightly different.     

Modified Baby Milk—Bioelements Composition and Toxic Elements Contamination

Breast milk has the most suitable composition for the proper development in the first year of a child’s life. However, it is often replaced with artificial milk. The aim of the study was to analyze the composition of essential elements: Na, K, Ca, P, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu, and Mn as well as toxic elements: Ni, Pb, Sr, Li, and In in 18 formulas available in Poland. The daily supply was also estimated. The study was performed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry method. The results showed the presence of all essential elements tested, but the content of P and Mn significantly differed from the concentrations declared. Such discrepancies can have significant impact on the daily dose of the bioelements taken. However, the content of elements was within the reference standards established by the EU Directive with exception of P, the amount of which exceeded the norms 5.23–18.80-times. Daily supply of P in tested milk as well as Fe and Mn provided with first and hypoallergenic formula exceeded the adequate intake. Analysis revealed the contamination with harmful elements—Pb, Sr, Li, and In were detected in almost all products. The study confirms the data concerning some discrepancies in composition and the contamination of food and may provide information on the feeding quality of children and estimation of health risk associated with exposure to toxic elements.     

Assessment of the Botanical Origin of Polish Honeys Based on Physicochemical Properties and Bioactive Components with Chemometric Analysis

Is it possible to characterize the types of honey based on their chemical composition, their content of bioactive substances, and their physicochemical properties? The objective of this study was a comparative analysis of four types of honey from the Carpathian Foothills area, located in south-east Poland, based on the content of the main phenolic acids and proline, the mineral composition, and selected physicochemical properties. Most analyses, such as those of phenolic acids, sugars, and proline content, in honey samples were performed using chromatographic methods. These experiments demonstrated that honeydew honeys were the richest in phenolic acids, minerals, as well as oligosaccharides, compared to other honeys. Dark-colored honeys were characterized by the highest proline content. The dominant elements in all types of honey were potassium and calcium. The results of the present study show that analyses of specific phenolic acids, minerals, proline, and sugar content, in combination with chemometrics analysis, may successfully differentiate between the biological origins of honey samples and allow the preliminary verification of the samples before performing time-consuming pollen analysis.     

Topological approach to quantum Hall effects and its important applications: higher Landau levels,graphene and its bilayer

In this paper the topological approach to quantum Hall effects is carefully described. Commensurability conditions together with proposed generators of a system braid group are employed to establish the fractional quantum Hall effect hierarchies of conventional semiconductors, monolayer and bilayer graphene structures. Obtained filling factors are compared with experimental data and a very good agreement is achieved. Preliminary constructions of ground-state wave functions in the lowest Landau level are put forward. Furthermore, this work explains why pyramids of fillings from higher bands are not counterparts of the well-known composite-fermion hierarchy – it provides with the cause for an intriguing robustness of ν = 7/3 , 8/3 and 5/2 states (also in graphene). The argumentation why paired states can be developed in two-subband systems (wide quantum wells) only when the Fermi energy lies in the first Landau level is specified. Finally, the paper also clarifies how an additional surface in bilayer systems contributes to an observation of the fractional quantum Hall effect near half-filling, ν = 1/2 .     

Hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose as a modifier of gypsum properties

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The study is focused on the influence of a water-soluble polymer (in weight fraction up to 1.5%), cellulose derivatives—hydroxyethyl methyl...     

Thermal and Spectral Studies of Y(III) and Lanthanide(III) Complexes with Mesaconic Acid

Y(III) and lanthanide(III) mesaconates were prepared as crystalline solids with general formula Ln₂(C₅H₄O₄)₃⋅nH₂O, where n=7 for La−Pr, n=4 for Y,Nd−Ho, n=8 for Er−Lu. IR spectra of the prepared mesaconates suggest that carboxylate groups are bidentate bridging anf chelating. During heating the hydrated complexes are dehydrated in one (Y, Nd−Lu) or two steps (La−Pr) and then decompose directly to oxides (Y, Ce, Pr, Sm, Gd−Lu) or with intermediate formation Ln₂O₂CO₃ (La, Nd, Eu). This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The action of oxygen on chlorophyll fluorescence quenching and absorption spectra in pea thylakoid membranes under the steady-state conditions

The effect of oxygen concentration on both absorption and chlorophyll fluorescence spectra was investigated in isolated pea thylakoids at weak actinic light under the steady-state conditions. Upon the rise of oxygen concentration from anaerobiosis up to 412 microM a gradual absorbance increase around both 437 and 670 nm was observed, suggesting the disaggregation of LHCII and destacking of thylakoids. Simultaneously, an increase in oxygen concentration resulted in a decline in the Chl fluorescence at 680 nm to about 60% of the initial value. The plot of normalized Chl fluorescence quenching, F(-O(2))/F(+O(2)), showed discontinuity above 275 microM O(2), revealing two phases of quenching, at both lower and higher oxygen concentrations. The inhibition of photosystem II by DCMU or atrazine as well as that of cyt b(6)f by myxothiazol attenuated the oxygen-induced quenching events observed above 275 microM O(2), but did not modify the first phase of oxygen action. These data imply that the oxygen mediated Chl fluorescence quenching is partially independent on non-cyclic electron flow. The second phase of oxygen-induced decline in Chl fluorescence is diminished in thylakoids with poisoned PSII and cyt b(6)f activities and treated with rotenone or N-ethylmaleimide to inhibit NAD(P)H-plastoquinone dehydrogenase. The data suggest that under weak light and high oxygen concentration the Chl fluorescence quenching results from interactions between oxygen and PSI, cyt b(6)f and Ndh. On the contrary, inhibition of non-cyclic electron flow by antimycin A or uncoupling of thylakoids by carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazone did not modify the steady-state oxygen effect on Chl fluorescence quenching. The addition of NADH protected thylakoids against oxygen-induced Chl fluorescence quenching, whereas in the presence of exogenic duroquinone the decrease in Chl fluorescence to one half of the initial level did not result from the oxygen effect, probably due to oxygen action as a weak electron acceptor from PQ pool and an insufficient non-photochemical quencher. The data indicate that mechanism of oxygen-induced Chl fluorescence quenching depends significantly on oxygen concentration and is related to both structural rearrangement of thylakoids and the direct oxygen reduction by photosynthetic complexes.     

Polymeric membrane ion-selective and cross-sensitive electrode-based electronic tongue for qualitative analysis of beverages

An electronic tongue based on the sensor array of polymeric membrane ion-selective electrodes combined with pattern recognition tools was applied to qualitative analysis of various brands of orange juice, tonic, and milk. The capability of this device to reliably discriminate between different brands of those products was presented. The tests of the system were performed using products of the same brand, but with different manufacture dates (and thus comparable by the term of taste). The fusion of two types of sensors-classical selective ones and partially selective in one versatile array, and working out the sensor array's response by means of principal component analysis and back propagation neural network methods allowed the discrimination between different brands of various beverages with very high accuracy (90-100%). The real performance of the electronic tongue was evaluated applying testing samples from another manufacture lot, than the samples used in the learning set.     

Interactions between the ganglioside GM1 and hexadecylphosphocholine (miltefosine) in monolayers at the air/water interface

The ganglioside, GM1, was studied as Langmuir monolayers at the air/water interface with surface pressure-area measurements in addition to Brewster angle microscopy. A characteristic plateau transition, observed on aqueous subphases of pH 2 and 6, 20 degrees C, at the surface pressure of ca. 20 mN/m, was attributed to the reorientation of GM1 polar group upon film compression. This transition was found to disappear at alkaline subphases (pH 10) due to the hydration of fully ionized polar group, hindering its reorientation. The interactions between GM1 and hexadecylphosphocholine (miltefosine) were investigated in mixed monolayers and analyzed with the mean molecular areas, excess areas of mixing and the excess free energy of mixing versus film composition plots. The monolayers stability, quantified by the collapse pressure values, as well as the strength of interaction was found to diminish in the following order: pH 6>pH 2>pH 10. The strongest interaction occurs for mixed films of miltefosine molar fraction, XM=0.7-0.8, especially at low pressure region, and are explained as being due to the surface complex formation of 3:1 or 4:1 (miltefosine:ganglioside) stoichiometry (XM=0.75 or 0.8, respectively).     

Interactions between dialkyldimethylammonium bromides (DXDAB) and sterols--a monolayer study

Langmuir monolayers of cholesterol/ergosterol and dialkyldimethylammonium bromides (DXDABs) differing in alkyl chain length-14 (DTDAB), 16 (DHDAB), and 18 (DODAB)-spread at the air/water interface are examined. All the systems investigated are found to be nonideal and miscible. Negative values of the total free energy of mixing, proving film stability in the whole range of compositions and surface pressures, are observed for all the studied mixtures except for DTDAB/cholesterol. The strength of interactions, quantified with DeltaG(Exc) values, was found to be of the same order for mixtures of cholesterol/ergosterol and DHDAB or DODAB. Differences occurring for the mixtures of DTDAB with sterols indicate the affinity of DTDAB to ergosterol in contrast to cholesterol.