Low-phosporous nickel-coated carbon microcoils: Controlling microstructure through an electroless plating process

Carbon microcoils (CMCs) have been coated with a nickel-phosphorus (Ni-P) film using an electroless plating process, with sodium hypophosphite as a reducing agent in an alkaline bath. CMC composites have potential applications as microwave absorption materials. The morphology, elemental composition and phases in the coating layer of the CMCs and Ni-coated CMCs were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The effects of process parameters such as pH, temperature and coating time of the plating bath on the phosphorus content and deposition rate of the electroless Ni-P coating were studied. The results revealed that a continuous, uniform and low-phosphorous nickel coating was deposited on the surface of the CMCs for 20 min at pH 9.0, plating bath temperature 70 °C. The as-deposited coatings with approximately 4.5 wt.% phosphorus were found to consist of a mix of nano- and microcrystalline phases. The mean particle size of Ni-P nanoparticles on the outer surface of the CMCs was around 11.9 nm. The deposition rate was found to moderately increase with increasing pH, whereas, the phosphorous content of the deposit exhibited a significant decrease. Moreover, the material of the coating underwent a phase transition between an amorphous and a crystalline structure. The thickness of the deposit and the deposition rate may be controlled through careful variation of the coating time and plating bath temperature.     

A UFLC‐MS/MS method with a switching ionization mode for simultaneous quantitation of polygalaxanthone III,four ginsenosides and tumulosic acid in rat plasma: application to a comparative pharmacokinetic study in normal and Alzheimer's disease rats

A fast, sensitive and reliable ultra fast liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry (UFLC‐MS/MS) method has been developed and validated for simultaneous quantitation of polygalaxanthone III (POL), ginsenoside Rb1 (GRb1), ginsenoside Rd (GRd), ginsenoside Re (GRe), ginsenoside Rg1 (GRg1) and tumulosic acid (TUM) in rat plasma after oral administration of Kai‐Xin‐San, which plays an important role for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The plasma samples were extracted by liquid–liquid extraction using ethyl acetate–isopropanol (1:1, v/v) with salidrdoside as internal standard (IS). Good chromatographic separation was achieved using gradient elution with the mobile phase consisting of methanol and 0.01% acetic acid in water. The tandem mass spectrometric detection was performed in multiple reaction monitoring mode on 4000Q UFLC‐MS/MS system with turbo ion spray source in a negative and positive switching ionization mode. The lower limits of quantification were 0.2–1.5 ng/ml for all the analytes. Both intra‐day and inter‐day precision and accuracy of analytes were well within acceptance criteria (±15%). The mean absolute extraction recoveries of analytes and IS from rat plasma were all more than 60.0%. The validated method has been successfully applied to comparing pharmacokinetic profiles of analytes in normal and AD rat plasma. The results indicated that no significant differences in pharmacokinetic parameters of GRe, GRg1 and TUM were observed between the two groups, while the absorption of POL and GRd in AD group were significantly higher than those in normal group; moreover, the GRb1 absorbed more rapidly in model group. The different characters of pharmacokinetics might be caused by pharmacological effects of the analytes. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

UFLC–MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of six lignans of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. in normal and insomniac rats brain microdialysates and homogenate samples: towards an in‐depth study for its sedative‐hypnotic activity

Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill., a traditional Chinese medicine, has been clinically used for the treatment of insomnia for centuries. The insomnia mechanism and the possible active ingredients of S. chinensis remain largely unknown. The objective of this study was to develop a method to detect its components which could pass through the blood brain barrier (BBB) by determining the brain microdialysate and brain tissue homogenate samples and then obtain the pharmacokinetic profile in brain for comprehensive understanding of its hypnotic clinical efficacy. Therefore, an efficient, sensitive and selective ultra fast liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous determination of six sedative and hypnotic lignans (schisandrin, schisandrol B, schisantherin A, deoxyshisandrin, γ‐schisandrin and gomisin N) of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. in rat brain tissue homogenate and brain microdialysates has been developed and validated. The analysis was performed on a Shim‐pack XR‐ODS column (75 mm × 3.0 mm, 2.2 µm) using gradient elution with the mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid water. The method was validated in brain homogenate and microdialysate samples, which all showed good linearity over a wide concentration range (r² > 0.99), and the obtained lower limit of quantification was 0.1 ng · ml^?1 for the analytes in brain microdialysate samples. The intra‐ and inter‐day assay variability was less than 15% for all analytes. The study proved the six lignans, as sedative and hypnotic ingredients, could pass through the BBB with brain targeting, distributed mainly in the hypothalamus and possessed complete pharmacokinetics process in brain. The results also indicated that significant difference in pharmacokinetic parameters of the analytes was observed between two groups, while absorptions of these analytes in insomniac group were significantly better than those in normal group. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and Antitumor Activity of Novel Coumarin Derivatives via a Three-component Reaction in Water

An efficient synthesis of novel coumarin derivatives via a three‐component condensation of 4‐hydroxycoumarin, aldehydes and aromatic amines catalyzed by sulfonic acid functionalized ionic liquid L‐2‐(hydroxymethyl)‐1‐(4‐sulfobutyl)pyrrolidinium hydrogen sulfate ([HYSBPI]·HSO₄) is reported. The condensed product was obtained with excellent yields in water under microwave irradiation condition. The antitumor activities of all the synthesized compounds were assessed on two different human cancer cell lines (A‐549 and MCF‐7), and the results showed that these compounds had weak‐to‐good antitumor activities and their IC₅₀ ranged from 0.05 to more than 100 µmol·L^?1.     

In vitro study of the interaction of cysteine with a thiazide diuretic (hydrochlorothiazide) at different ph by voltammetric and spectroscopic techniques

The interaction of cysteine (RSH) with a thiazide diuretic, hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) was characterized by UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy and square-wave voltammetry in Britton-Robinson (B-R) buffer solution (with pH 5, 7 and 9). On the square-wave voltamogram of cysteine, the reduction peak current of mercurous cysteine thiolate (Hg₂(RS)₂) decreased and its peak potential shifted to more positive values with the addition of HCTZ. This results showed that the RSH interacted with HCTZ. The stoichiometry of HCTZ-RSH molecular complex was determined by voltammetric data with the result of 1: 1. By using linear regression analysis of the voltammetric data at pH 5, 7 and 9, the apparent formation constants of HCTZ-RSH complex were calculated to be 9.54 × 10³, 2.80 × 10⁴ and 2.55 × 10⁴ M^?1, respectively. At the same time, this interaction was also supported by UV-Vis spectroscopic measurements. According to the voltammetric and spectroscopic results, it was suggested that the interaction mode between RSH and HCTZ molecules might be a combination of hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonds.     

Reversible high‐temperature phase transition of a manganese(II) formate framework with imidazolium cations

A new metal–formate framework, poly[1H‐imidazol‐3‐ium [tri‐μ₂‐formato‐manganese(II)]], {(C₃H₅N₂)[Mn(HCOO)₃]}_n, was synthesized and its structural phase transition was studied by thermal analysis and variable‐temperature X‐ray diffraction analysis. The transition temperature is around 435 K. The high‐temperature phase is tetragonal and the low‐temperature phase is monoclinic, with a β angle close to 90°. The relationship of the unit cells between the two phases can be described as: a_HT = 0.5a_LT + 0.5b_LT; b_HT = −0.5a_LT + 0.5b_LT; c_HT = 0.5c_LT. In the high‐temperature phase, both the framework and the guest 1H‐imidazol‐3‐ium (HIm) cations are disordered; the HIm cations are located about 2mm sites and were modelled as fourfold disordered. The Mn and a formate C atom are located on fourfold rotary inversion axes, while another formate C atom is on a mirror plane. The low‐temperature structure is ordered and consists of two crystallographically independent HIm cations and two crystallographically independent Mn²⁺ ions. The phase transition is attributable to the order–disorder transition of the HIm cations.     

The structure and electronic property of the smallest C20‐glycine and Gd‐encapsulated C20‐glycine derivatives with potentially biological activity

Theoretical calculations on interaction of the C₂₀ fullerene (consists solely by pentagons) with the smallest amino acid (glycine) were carried out using density‐functional theory method. The glycine molecule energetically prefers to interact with the Top‐site on the C₂₀ cage via its amino nitrogen (N) active site. The stable ordering of three active sites on glycine molecule is NH₂‐site > O‐site > OH‐site. Moreover, when the Gd atom is encapsulated to the center of C₂₀‐glycine, the cage volume obviously increase ～24.8%; and the endohedral atom induces the generation of two strong bands in the partial density of states spectra, which could cause the effect on optical properties. Additionally, it is also found that the modified C₂₀‐glycine derivative by Gd atom can reduce the thermodynamic and kinetic stabilities. It could be expected that the study may provide a theoretical reference in exploring their intrinsic feature structurally to antitumor activity. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Preparation,Crystal Structure,and Thermal Decomposition of the Intriguing Five‐coordinated Compound [Cu(IMI)4Cl]Cl (IMI = Imidazole)

The intriguing multi‐ligand compound [Cu(IMI)₄Cl]Cl ( 1 ) with the ligand imidazole (IMI) was synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis and FT‐IR spectroscopy. The crystal structure was determined by X‐ray single crystal diffraction and the crystallographic data showed that the compound belongs to the monoclinic P2₁/n space group [α = 8.847(2) Å, b = 13.210(3) Å, c = 13.870(3) Å, and β = 90.164(3)°]. Furthermore, the Cu^II ion is five‐coordinated by four nitrogen atoms from four imidazole ligands and a chlorine atom. The thermal decomposition mechanism was determined based on differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric (TG‐DTG) analysis. The non‐isothermal kinetics parameters were calculated by the Kissinger's method and Ozawa's method, respectively. The energy of combustion, enthalpy of formation, critical temperature of thermal explosion, entropy of activation (ΔS^≠), enthalpy of activation (ΔH^≠), and free energy of activation (ΔG^≠) were measured and calculated.