Organophosphate esters by GC–MS: An optimized method for aquatic risk assessment

Organophosphate esters used as flame retardants and plasticizers are ubiquitous contaminants in surface waters. Many studies indicate that these compounds are neurotoxicants, endocrine disruptors, and may affect reproduction and development of aquatic organisms. Thus, analytical methods that allow accurate quantification of these contaminants at environmentally relevant concentrations are desirable for risk assessment studies. In this study, a method based on solid phase extraction and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry was developed for determination of organophosphate esters in river water extracts. Multivariate optimization was used to determine the best conditions for injection of larger volumes of sample in a Programmable Temperature Vaporization inlet. Furthermore, the matrix effect on the instrumental response was evaluated and compensated by association of extraction‐blank‐matched calibration and isotopically labeled focus standards. The method quantification limits ranged from 0.009 to 0.11 µg/L, staying below the predicted non‐effect concentration for the aquatic compartment for all analytes, which is a requisite for using in risk assessment studies. The method was applied to freshwater samples collected in rivers from the Sao Paulo State, Brazil, and eight out of the ten target organophosphate esters were quantified, being tris(2‐chloroisopropyl) phosphate and tris(phenyl) phosphate the most frequently detected compounds.     

Predictable site-selective radical fluorination of tertiary ethers

In this communication,we disclose the first example of metal-free and site-selective radical fluorination of readily available tertiary alkyl ethers,enabled by synergistic photocatalysis and organocatalysis.This catalytic combination allows for exclusive fluorination of tertiary C–O bonds under mild conditions even in the presence of competing reaction sites.The excellent functional group tolerance affords valuable access to sterically hindered alkyl fluorides through late-stage modification of complex molecules.The successful use of tertiary alkyl ethers in radical fluorination enhances the structural diversity of aliphatic fluorides that can be derived from naturally abundant alcohols.     

UPLC-MS/MS for simultaneous quantification of vortioxetine and its metabolite Lu AA34443 in rat plasma and its application to drug interactions

Vortioxetine is currently used as the first-line therapy drug for major depressive disorder (MDD). In the present study, we aimed to develop and fully validate an ultra performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method for the simultaneous quantification of vortioxetine and its major metabolite Lu AA34443 in plasma and to investigate the effects of dronedarone and amiodarone on vortioxetine metabolism in rats. After protein precipitation with acetonitrile, the separation of vortioxetine, Lu AA34443 and duloxetine (internal standard, IS) were finished on an Acquity BEH C18 (2.1 mm × 50 mm, 1.7 μm) column and their detections were conducted by a Xevo TQ-S triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer in the positive ion mode. The assay displayed excellent linearity in the range of 0.5–50 ng/mL for vortioxetine, and 5–1000 ng/mL for Lu AA34443. The results of this method exhibited that the precision, accuracy, matrix effect, recovery, and stability of vortioxetine and Lu AA34443 met all requirements for the quantitation in plasma samples. The validated assay was further successfully employed to study the effects of dronedarone (80 mg/kg) and amiodarone (60 mg/kg) on vortioxetine metabolism in rats. The results showed that dronedarone and amiodarone could increase the concentration of vortioxetine and have inhibitory effect on vortioxetine metabolism. Thus, vortioxetine dose interruption or reduction may be considered.     

Nonlinear thickness-shear vibration of an infinite piezoelectric plate with flexoelectricity based on the method of multiple scales

This paper presents a nonlinear thickness-shear vibration model for onedimensional infinite piezoelectric plate with flexoelectricity and geometric nonlinearity. The constitutive equations with flexoelectricity and governing equations are derived from the Gibbs energy density function and variational principle. The displacement adopted here is assumed to be antisymmetric through the thickness due to the thickness-shear vibration mode. Only the shear strain gradient through the thickness is considered in the present model. With geometric nonlinearity, the governing equations are converted into differential equations as the function of time by the Galerkin method. The method of multiple scales is employed to obtain the solution to the nonlinear governing equation with first order approximation. Numerical results show that the nonlinear thickness-shear vibration of piezoelectric plate is size dependent, and the flexoelectric effect has significant influence on the nonlinear thickness-shear vibration frequencies of micro-size thin plates. The geometric nonlinearity also affects the thickness-shear vibration frequencies greatly. The results show that flexoelectricity and geometric nonlinearity cannot be ignored in design of accurate high-frequency piezoelectric devices.     

Study on wave dispersion characteristics of piezoelectric sandwich nanoplates considering surface effects

In this study, the wave propagation properties of piezoelectric sandwich nanoplates deposited on an orthotropic viscoelastic foundation are analyzed by considering the surface effects (SEs). The nanoplates are composed of a composite layer reinforced by graphene and two piezoelectric surface layers. Utilizing the modified Halpin-Tsai model, the material parameters of composite layers are obtained. The displacement field is determined by the sinusoidal shear deformation theory (SSDT). The Euler-Lagrange equation is derived by employing Hamilton’s principle and the constitutive equations of piezoelectric layers considering the SEs. Subsequently, the nonlocal strain gradient theory (NSGT) is used to obtain the equations of motion. Next, the effects of scale parameters, graphene distribution, orthotropic viscoelastic foundation, and SEs on the propagation behavior are numerically examined. The results reveal that the wave frequency is a periodic function of the orthotropic angle. Furthermore, the wave frequency increases with the increase in the SEs.

     

Influence of nonlinear spatial distribution of stress and strain on solving problems of solid mechanics

Applied Mathematics and Mechanics - The stress and the strain should be defined as statistical variables averaged over the representative volume elements for any real continuum system. It is shown...     

Surface effect on band structure of magneto-elastic phononic crystal nanoplates subject to magnetic and stress loadings

This paper presents a theoretical model for the size-dependent band structure of magneto-elastic phononic crystal(PC) nanoplates according to the Kirchhoff plate theory and Gurtin-Murdoch theory, in which the surface effect and magneto-elastic coupling are considered. By introducing the nonlinear coupling constitutive relation of magnetostrictive materials, Terfenol-D/epoxy PC nanoplates are carried out as an example to investigate the dependence of the band structure on the surface effect, magn...     

阻尼对空爆荷载等效静载动力系数的影响

为考查阻尼参数对空爆荷载等效静载动力系数的影响,理论推导了空爆荷载下结构等效单自由体系弹塑性位移解及延性比解,设计并计算了阻尼比0.000 1～0.1、延性比1～4的20种典型工况的动力系数,并与现行抗爆设计规范动力系数公式结果进行了对比。结果表明:阻尼比小于0.000 1时可基本代表无阻尼状态,阻尼比0.01的动力系数比无阻尼的最大降低幅度为2.08%,数值差异很小,因此阻尼比为0.01以内时,可忽略阻尼对动力系数的影响;阻尼比0.05的动力系数比无阻尼的降低幅度约9.92%,数值差异较大,认为阻尼比0.05以上时将具有明显的经济效益;现行设计规范动力系数更适用于柔性结构体系,运用于刚性结构抗爆设计时,计算误差较大,对阻尼比较小的结构设计更不利。     

C-13 and H-1 NMR Study of Alkyl and Aryl-Substituted 1-(4′-Dimethylaminobenzylideneamino)pyridinium Perchlorates

C-13 and H-1 NMR spectra of some 1-(4′-dimethylaminobenzylideneamino)pyridinium perchlorates show that the angle of twist of the pyridine ring in unsubstituted, 1, and 2-alkyl substituted compounds 2–5 is comparable. However, it is considerably increased in 2,6-dialkyl derivatives. As seen from the spectral data, pyridine and phenyl rings in 2,6-diphenyl derivative 15 are not coplanar. The effect of 4-alkyl substituent is of hyperconjugative chacter. In general, the amount of the positive charge at C-4 in 2,6-dialkyl substituted salts is higher as compared to 2-monosubstituted compounds.