Background correction by wavelength modulation using a microcomputer in atomic emission spectrometry

An Apple IIe microcomputer was employed to correct the background radiation in electrothermal atomization atomic emission spectrometry (ETA-AES). In ETA-AES, black-body radiation from the atomizer as well as any broadband molecular emission should be corrected to obtain an atomic signal alone. A quartz plate run by a G325D galvanometric motor was placed before the exit slit of a 256 mm Littrow monochromator. Improvements by a novel pulsed 3-step square waveform are demonstrated compared with the ordinatry 3-step square waveform. A soft delay was also applied in order to avoid taking data at transition stages of the quartz plate. A line and a continuum source are used to simulate offsetting of the DC component of the signal prior to the ADC. This provides a better utilization of the full dynamic range of the converter.     

Surface grafting of electrochemically crosslinked poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) brushes via surface-initiated ring-opening metathesis polymerization

Herein we demonstrated the preparation of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) containing polynorbornylene brushes on Au surfaces via surface-initiated ring-opening metathesis polymerization (SI-ROMP). Using solid-state oxidative crosslinking technique, these polymer brushes were electrochemically converted to conjugated polymer networks. Grazing-angle FTIR spectra of polymer brushes clearly showed the characteristic vibrations of EDOT and norbornylene groups. Furthermore, densely covered Au substrates with polynorbornylene brushes were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy.     

Composition of essential oil and antioxidant capacity of Centaurea drabifolia Sm. subsp. detonsa (Bornm.) Wagenitz, endemic to Turkey

In this study, composition of essential oil and antioxidant capacity of Centaurea drabifolia subsp. detonsa were investigated. The antioxidant capacity of the methanolic extract was evaluated by various methods including measuring the total phenolic content, total antioxidant capacity, free radical scavenging activity (DPPH assay), β-carotene/linoleic acid bleaching assay and ferric and cupric ion reducing power assay. The composition of essential oil was identified by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Totally, 41 compounds were described in the essential oil. Germacrene D (44.829%) was determined as the major compound of the essential oil. The total phenolic content, total antioxidant capacity, inhibition rate of oxidation of linoleic acid, IC(50) (in DPPH assay) and EC(50) (in reducing power) value were found to be 40.454?mg?GAE/g, 100.840?mg?AAE/g, 65.639%, 39.584?μg?mL(-1) and 0.603?mg?mL(-1), respectively. The results indicated that the extract of C. drabifolia subsp. detonsa has strong antioxidant properties and this species can be used as a natural antioxidant in food processing and pharmaceutical industries.     

Intermolecular acetaldehyde and dimethoxymethane formation mechanisms via ethenol and methoxymethylene precursors in reactions of atomic carbon with methanol: a computational study

Atomic carbon, a reactive intermediate abundant in the interstellar medium (ISM) can participate in various energetically demanding reactions in its extremely long living (69 min) first excited singlet state ((1)D). Several studies on reactions of oxygen containing species with carbon atoms have been reported, however mechanistic details of the title reaction remain obscure. We report here quantum chemical studies on reactions of methanol with (3)P and (1)D carbon atoms at the CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ level of theory, with which experimentally well known facile CO production, intermolecular acetaldehyde formation, and intermolecular dimethoxymethane production mechanisms are explained. Energetics of the fragmentation, O-H insertion, C-H insertion, and O-C insertion channels on the triplet and singlet surfaces are studied. The CO production mechanism by C ((1)D) is identified as an oxygen abstraction and a triplet PES seems non-operative. Presenting novel features for the intermolecular reaction channels, current findings may be applicable to C + ROR reactions.     

Teaching the formation and solution of differential equations

This study examines how students in the early stages of learning about the concept of functions, describe a curve and, in particular, evaluate the appropriateness of their argument about the representation of a function. Students are offered a message game which is related to a curve drawn on a coordinate system, representing an ‘imaginary function’. In this message game, one half of the class must describe a curve to the other half who will then try to reproduce it as similarly as possible. Data analysis indicates that the idea of the curve that consists of series of points is very effective, while the idea of variation does not exist or is too limited among students at the beginning of learning functions. Thus, the concept of variation is not used as a criterion to describe a curve. More surprisingly, the students are working on the curve as if it was just a picture on a grid regardless of the representation of the function.     

Immunoadsorption of cholesterol on protein A oriented beads

Anti-low density lipoprotein antibody (anti-LDL) molecules were attached covalently and oriented through Protein A onto poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) [poly(HEMA-EGDMA)] beads in order to remove cholesterol specifically from hypercholesterolemic human plasma. Poly(HEMA-EGDMA) beads were produced by suspension polymerization. Blood compatibility tests were performed. All the clotting times were increased when compared with control plasma. Loss of platelets and leukocytes was very low. The maximum anti-LDL attachment was 11.6 mg . g(-1) in the case of random immobilization and 28.3 mg . g(-1) in the case of oriented immobilization. In the latter case, Protein A loading was 8.3 mg . g(-1) at pH 7.5 (borate buffer, 0.15 M NaCl). There was low non-specific cholesterol adsorption onto the poly(HEMA-EGDMA) beads, about 0.83 mg . g(-1). Random and oriented anti-LDL attached beads adsorbed 8.2 mg and 11.7 mg cholesterol per g of bead from hypercholesterolemic human plasma, respectively. Up to 96% of the adsorbed cholesterol was desorbed. The binding-elution cycle was repeated 6 times using the same beads. There was no significant loss of binding capacity.     

Rotational Raman generation with near-unity conversion efficiency

We demonstrate collinear generation of equidistant rotational sidebands in low-pressure molecular hydrogen with near-unity conversion efficiency. The spectrum consists of 37 coherent sidebands covering over 20, 000 cm(-1) of spectral bandwidth and ranging from 1.37mum to 352 nm in wavelength.     

Structure of a ring enlarged product from the base induced rearrangement of dibromomethylenebenzonorbornene

The base-catalyzed rearrangement reactions of 2-bromomethylenebenzonorbornene8 and 2,2-dibromomethylenebenzonorbornene9 were studied. Reaction of8 with potassiumtert-butoxide in THF gave only the enol ether11 whose formation is rationalized via a carbene-cycloalkyne mechanism. However, treatment of9 with phenyllithium in THF at –40°C gave the ringenlarged dibromide13 whose structure is reported herein. The ring-enlarged product13 is rationalized in terms of carbanionic rearrangement. Quantum mechanical calculations are consistent with these observations.