Organic molecular beam deposition of oligophenyls on Au111: A study by X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

Near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy has been applied to reveal the molecular arrangement of ultrathin oligophenyl films [p-quaterphenyl (4P) and p-hexaphenyl (6P)] on Au(111). In the half-monolayer films the molecules lie flat on the surface but still have a considerable inter-ring twist of 30 degrees -40 degrees , similar to the gas-phase conformation. In the saturated monolayer film the second half of the molecules is side-tilted by an angle of less than 66 degrees with respect to the surface. This arrangement is already similar to that in bulk net planes of thicker films parallel to the surface, that is, the 4P(211) and 6P(21-3) planes, respectively.     

Electron impact dissociation of H2O: emission cross sections for OH*, OH+*, H*, and H2O+* fragments

The optical emission spectrum in the near ultraviolet and visible following electron impact on H₂O was studied in a crossed-beam and a static gas-target experiment. Emissions of H*, OH*, OH⁺*, and H₂O⁺* fragments were detected and absolute emission cross sections for the different fragments were determined. A nonthermal rotational population was observed for the diatomic fragments which gives insight into the dissociation process. Further conclusions on the dissociation mechanism are possible based on appearance potentials and the shape of the emission cross sections as a function of impact energy.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of bile acids in hamster bile

A high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure has been developed for the determination of pentamidine concentrations in serum samples. A microbore, reversed-phase column was used with a mobile phase consisting of methanol and water with sodium heptanesulfonate and triethylamine as modifiers. Pentamidine could be extracted from serum only by the addition of an ion-pairing agent, di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid, to the chloroform used for extraction. The method can be used to reliably detect levels as low as 5 ng/ml. The pentamidine concentration in the serum of eleven patients 24 h after their tenth daily dose of pentamidine averaged 60 +/- 34 ng/ml.     

Fiber optic multi-channel protein detector for use in preparative continuous annular chromatography

On-line coupling continuous-flow liquid membrane extraction (CFLME) with HPLC, a novel automatic system was developed for the determination of sulfonylurea herbicides in water. After an automatic trace-enrichment process by CFLME, which is the combination of continuous flow liquid-liquid extraction and support liquid membrane (SLM) extraction, the target analytes were concentrated in 50 microl of 0.2 M Na2CO3-NaHCO3 (pH 10.0) buffer. The concentrated sample solutions were injected directly onto a C18 analytical column with a valve, and detected at 240 nm with a diode array detector. Metsulfuron methyl (MSM), and DPX-A 7881 were baseline separated with a mobile phase consisting of methanol and 67 mM KH2PO4-Na2HPO4 (pH 5.91) buffer (45+55, v+v) at a flow-rate of 1.0 ml min(-1). With an enrichment time of 10 min and enrichment sample volume of 20 ml, the enrichment factors and detection limits are 100 and 0.05 microg l(-1) for MSM, and 96 and 0.1 microg l(-1) for DPX-A 7881, respectively. The linear range and precision (RSD) are 0.1-50 microg l(-1) and 7.0% for MSM, and 0.2-50 microg l(-1) and 9.2% for DPX-A 7881, respectively. This proposed method was applied to determine MSM and DPX-A 7881 in seawater, tap water, and bottled mineral water with spiked recoveries in the range of 83-95% for MSM and 88-100% for DPX-A 7881, respectively.     

Organoboranes—34 : General synthesis of chiral boronic and borinic esters via asymmetric hydroboration-displacement. carbenoidation of chiral borinic esters to acyclic ketones of high enantiomeric purities

Asymmetric hydroboration of appropriate alkenes with diisopinocampheylborane (Ipc₂BH) or monoisopinocampheylborane (IpcBH₂) produces intermediates that readily eliminate α-pinene on treat- ment with acetaldehyde, providing a direct, convenient route to chiral boronic esters of high enantiomeric purities. Mixed chiral trialkylboranes, readily prepared by stepwise hydroboration of appropriate alkenes with IpcBH₂, eliminate α-pinene on treatment with acetaldehyde under very mild conditions. The procedure makes readily available chiral borinic esters of high enantiomeric purities. The synthetic utility of chiral borinic esters is demonstrated by converting them into acyclic ketones including an alarm pheromone of the ant Monica mutica.     

Identification of ochratoxin A in food samples by chemical derivatization and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

The contamination of foods with ochratoxin A can be determined very sensitively by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection. A novel procedure is described to confirm OA-positive results quantitatively down to the HPLC detection limit of 0.1 ppb. For this, ochratoxin A in the sample extract is converted into its O-methylochratoxin A methyl ester derivative, which is identified subsequently by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry negative-ion chemical ionization and multiple ion detection modes using the hexadeuterated O-methyl-d3-ochratoxin A methyl-d3 ester derivative as internal standard for quantification. In the analysis of more than 60 contaminated samples, the procedure was found to be very accurate.     

A microcomputer-controlled titrator for automated individual analysis

A titration unit for automatic analysis systems is described. The titrator performs different titrations specified by strings of digital parameters. It has 4 independent titration stations with individual electrode systems. A multiburette with 20 cylinders provides all stations with the necessary reagents. End-point titrations, and incremental and equilibrium titrations are controlled by a microcomputer. In combination with a sample transport and a desk calculator, the titrator can be used to process automatically samples of different natures which require different treatment.     

Dual-label autoradiographic analysis of human skin fibroblast and myoblast proteins by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis using immobilised pH gradients in the first dimension

Horizontal two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with immobilised pH gradients in the first dimension has been applied to the analysis of human skin fibroblast and muscle myoblast total cell proteins. Excellent two-dimensional separations of skin fibroblast proteins were obtained using pH 4-10 immobilised pH gradient gels with a long interelectrode distance (16 cm), but resolution was degraded, particularly of the more acidic proteins, by the use of shorter (10 cm) gels. Improved resolution of acidic and basic proteins was obtained using separate pH 4-7 and pH 7-10 immobilised pH gradient gels respectively in the first dimension. Two-dimensional protein maps of skin fibroblast proteins were visualised both by silver staining and by autoradiography of samples labelled synthetically with [35S]methionine. Horizontal two-dimensional electrophoresis, using pH 4-7 and pH 7-10 immobilised pH gradient gels in the first dimension, was applied to the analysis of protein samples from skin fibroblasts and muscle myoblasts dual-labelled synthetically with [35S]methionine and [75Se]selenomethionine in an attempt to identify sets of proteins specific to each cell type. In addition, two-dimensional maps or protein samples derived from normal individuals and patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy were compared to search for protein changes associated with the disease state. Although sets of qualitative protein spot differences were observed by visual inspection of the two-dimensional gels, more rigorous qualitative and quantitative analysis of the patterns using a computerised analysis system will be required to obtain the maximum amount of information from these data.     

Proton bound homodimers and heterodimers of amides and amines in the gas phase. Equilibrium studies by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance spectrometry

By injection of the proton bound homodimer [DMF.H+.DMF] of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) generated in an external ion source into a mixture of DMF and a second base within the cell of a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) spectrometer the equilibria between [DMF.H+.DMF] and the other possible proton bound dimers [DMF.H+.base] and [base.H+.base] have been studied for 13 different bases. Strongly polar bases like aliphatic amides and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) exchange both DMF in [DMF.H+.DMF] by a two step process, while the almost non-polar amines exchange only one DMF. If the base is a primary or secondary amine, the proton bound heterodimer [DMF.H+.amine] reacts further by the addition of one DMF to create a proton bound trimer [(DMF)2.H+.amine]. The affinity deltaG(DMFH+) of the bases towards protonated DMF relative to neutral DMF depends linearly on the difference deltaGB of the gas phase basicity of DMF and the other base, but different correlation lines are obtained for polar and non-polar ligands (deltaGDMFH+ = 0.44GB(base)-375 [kJ/mol] (r = 0.97) and deltaGDMFH+ = 0.46GB(base)-397 [kJ/mol] (r = 0.99), respectively). This different behavior is explained by a different character of the proton bridge in the heterodimers containing only polar ligands and those incorporating a non-polar ligand besides DMF. The former dimers contain a more or less symmetric proton bridge while the latter can be viewed as a protonated base solvated by DMF. The available data have been used to calculate the molecular pair gas phase basicity of DMF and the 13 bases used and to estimate the dissociation energies of the bonds of the proton bridge in various proton bound heterodimers.     

Electron and light microscopical investigation of defect structures in mesophases of pharmaceutical substances

 Transmission electron microscopy of freeze fractured and replicated samples (TEM) and polarizing light microscopy (PLM) are used to investigate the defect structures of the thermotropic and lyotropic mesophases of the non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug fenoprofen sodium and of the thermotropic mesophase of the nonionic surfactant sucrose oleate (O1570). All mesophases have a layered, smectic structure. The thermotropic liquid crystal of feno-profen sodium is an interdigitated smectic A phase (smectic Ad) having the highest viscosity of the investigated samples. The thermotropic mesophase of the sugar ester is also of the type smectic A, likely to be of subtype smectic A2 (bilayered smectic structure). The lyotropic mesophase is of lamellar liquid crystalline nature and has a much lower viscosity than the thermotropic mesophases. In the PLM the lyotropic fenoprofen mesophase has a strong tendency to form a pseudoisotropic texture, indicating a strong tendency to form undisturbed layered structures. Other textures exhibited in the PLM are fan-shaped texture and maltese-cross texture. Confocal domains, cylinders, pits and peaks as well as screw dislocations are found in great number in the TEM. However, no greater regions of undisturbed lamellar arrangement in the lyotropic mesophase could be detected. The only texture of the thermotropic fenoprofen mesophase visible in the PLM is the fan-shaped texture, indicating confocal domains as predominant structural elements. However, no confocal domains (tori or Dupin cyclides) are found in the TEM. In the PLM the sugar–ester mesophase exhibited a fan-shaped texture, maltese crosses and oily streaks as dominant textures. In the TEM only a few +π and −π disclinations and imperfect confocal domains could be detected. The discrepancies in the appearance of defect structures and textures between the mesophases as well as the discrepancies in the findings in the PLM and in the TEM investigations are caused by the different sample preparation and the different viscosities of the mesophases. Received: 28 May 1997 Accepted: 2 September 1997