Nonspecific interactions of a carboxylate-substituted PPE with proteins. A cautionary tale for biosensor applications

Two carboxylate-substituted, fluorescent (Phi = 0.08), water-soluble poly(p-phenyleneethynylene)s (PPE) and a water-soluble model compound were exposed to a series of proteins and bovine serum. While the anionic PPEs do not have any specific binding sites, they form stable complexes with histone, lysozyme, myoglobin, and hemoglobin. The complex formation was evidenced by fluorescence quenching. Bovine serum albumin does not quench the fluorescence of the PPEs but enhances it, probably due to its surfactant character. These results imply that the use of charged conjugated polymers as biosensors, while an attractive proposition, has to take into account strong nonspecific interactions between conjugated polymers and the host of proteins that is found in cells and complex biological fluids.     

High performance liquid chromatographic separation of dipeptide and tripeptide enantiomers using a chiral crown ether stationary phase

A chiral stationary phase (CSP) based on (-)-(18-crown-6)-2,3,11,12-tetracarboxylic acid was evaluated for the direct resolution of the enantiomers of dipeptides and tripeptides. The type and concentration of the acid and the methanol content were optimized with regard to retention time and resolution using Ala-Phe as model peptide. A mobile phase consisting of 10 mM sulfuric acid in 70% aqueous methanol was applied to the separation of a set of 16 structurally diverse dipeptides and tripeptides. Generally, the configuration of the amino acid at the N-terminus determined the enantiomer elution order. With a few exceptions the LL- and LD-enantiomers interacted stronger with the CSP compared to the corresponding DD- or DL-enantiomers. The experimental conditions also allowed the simultaneous separation of all four stereoisomers of Ala-Phe. Addition of ammonium sulfate generally reduced retention times and enantiomer resolution. Addition of triethylamine as modifier led to an overall increase of the retention times while the resolution did not show a general trend, increasing in the case of Ala-Ala but decreasing in the case of Ala-Phe.     

Zur Reaktion von Hydrazinen mit Fluorsilanen und lithiierten Aminen

Lithium salts of hydrazines react with fluorosilanes under formation of fluorosilylhydrazines and LiF. Five membered rings are obtained in the reaction of bis(fluorosilyl)-hydrazines with lithiated amines. The mass,¹H-and¹⁹F-nmr spectra of the compounds are reported.

     

Mass spectrometric analysis of ceramic components for solid oxide fuel cells

For the determination of trace impurities in ceramic components of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), some mass spectrometric methods have been applied such as spark source mass spectrometry (SSMS), laser ionization mass spectrometry (LIMS), laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Due to a lack of suitable standard reference materials for quantifying of analytical results on La _x Sr _y MnO₃ cathode material a matrix-matched synthetic standard-high purity initial compounds doped with trace elements-was prepared in order to determine the relative sensitivity coefficients in SSMS and LA-ICP-MS. Radiofrequency glow discharge mass spectrometry (rf-GDMS) was developed for trace analysis and depth profiling of thick non-conducting layers. Surface analytical techniques, such as secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and sputtered neutral mass spectrometry (SNMS), were used to determine the element distribution on surfaces (homogeneity) and the surface contaminants of SOFC ceramic layers.Dedicated to Professor Dr. rer. nat. Hubertus Nickel on the occasion of his 65th birthday     

Determination of telmisartan in human blood plasma: Part I: Immunoassay development

Telmisartan is an angiotensin II receptor antagonist and a known drug against high blood pressure. In this report, the development of a new and rapid analytical technique, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the determination of telmisartan in human blood plasma is described. The immunoassay is based on a conversion of 4-(N-methylhydrazino)-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzooxadiazole (MNBDH) to 4-(N-methylamino)-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzooxadiazole (MNBDA), which is detected by fluorescence spectroscopy. The limit of detection was 0.1 ng/mL, the limit of quantification was 0.3 ng/mL and the working range extended from 0.3 ng/mL to 300 ng/mL.     

2,2‐Dichloro‐1,3‐bis(trimethylsilyl)‐1,3‐diaza‐2‐silacyclopentane

In the title compound, C₈H₂₂Cl₂N₂Si₃, the central Si atom is tetrahedrally coordinated by two Cl and two N atoms in a molecule that has crystallographically imposed C₂ symmetry. Comparison is made with the isomorphous structure having titanium instead of silicon at the central position in the diazacyclopentane ring [Tinkler, Deeth, Duncalf & McCamley (1996). Chem. Commun. pp. 2623–2624].     

Determination of estrogenic steroids in surface water and wastewater by liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

An analytical method is presented which permits trace level determination of 17alpha-ethynylestradiol (EE2), 17beta-estradiol (E2), and estrone (E1). Using this method, the estrogenic steroids were analyzed in drinking water, surface water, and wastewater (sewage influents and effluents) at concentrations down to 0.1 ng/L. Sample volumes between 100 and 500 mL are concentrated using automated solid-phase extraction. Analysis is performed by liquid chromatography with detection by tandem mass spectrometry. Applying simple clean-up procedures and internal standard calibration, recovery losses resulting from matrix-dependent ion suppression during electrospray ionization could be compensated for all of the investigated compounds. Recoveries around 100% were obtained for all analytes after correction using the internal standards. Limits of quantification (LOQ) were between 0.1 and 0.4 ng/L for purified sewage, surface, ground, and drinking water and between 1 and 2 ng/L in the case of raw sewage. Water treatment by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) or by a surface water treatment plant affected the removal of all estrogenic steroids. Thus, E1, E2, and EE2 were removed in the municipal WWTPs to the extent of 93%, 93%, and 80%, respectively. In the effluents of the WWTP in Ruhleben (Berlin, Germany), E1, E2, and EE2 were detected at the low ng/L level. E2 and EE2 were, however, not present in the Berlin surface water above the LOQ (0.2 ng/L). E1 was the only compound that could be detected in surface water samples. After additional surface water treatment it was still detectable but only at trace-level concentrations with a mean value of 0.16 ng/L.     

The ground-state energy of the ±J sping glass. A comparison of various biologically motivated algorithms

We compare various evlutionary strategies to determine the ground-state energy of the ±J spin glass. We show that the choice of different evolution laws is less important than a suitable treatment of the free spins of the system At least one combination of these strategies does not give the correct results, but the ground states of the other different strategies coincide. Therefore we are able to extrapolate the infinit-size ground-state energy for the square lattice to –1.401±0.0015 and for the simple cubic lattice to –1.786±0.004.