Dehydration and crystallization process in sol-gel zirconia

Sol-gel zirconia was characterized using high-resolution thermogravimetry (Hi-Res TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and compared with X-ray diffraction, Raman scattering, and UV-Vis spectroscopy. ZrO_2-x(OH)_2x·yH₂O annealed below 400°C show typical behavior of amorphous material. As the annealing temperature is increased, the tetragonal and monoclinic phases crystallize. Typical Hi-Res TG curve shows that the samples are continuously dehydrated in a long temperature range, between room temperature and 600°C. The total mass loss relative to the initial mass is of about 29%. The DSC analysis coupled with TG and structural information, indicate that the exothermic processes about 355 and 447°C can be related to the nucleation process of the formation of tetragonal zirconia, with bulk crystallization at 447°C. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Synthesis and structure of tetraphenylantimony hydrogen phthalate

Tetraphenylantimony hydrogen phthalate, Ph4SbOC(O)C6H4000H-o, was prepared by the reaction of pentaphenylantimony with phthalic acid. According to the data of X-ray structural analysis, the resulting compound is a trigonal-bipyramidal complex of antimony with three phenyl groups in equatorial positions; the fourth phenyl group and the carboxyl fragment are in axial positions. The CSbO angle is 177.5(1)° the Sb-C(Ph)_eq and Sb-C(Ph)ax distances are 2.099(4)-2.177(4) A and 2.129(4) A, respectively. The H atom of the free carboxyl group and the carbonyl O atom of another carboxylate group form an intramolecular hydrogen bond.DeceasedTranslated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 8, pp. 2082–2085, August, 1996.     

Properties and structures of porphyrexides

The molecular and crystal structures of porphyrexides, viz., 4-amino-2-imino-(1) and (Z)-2-amino-4-bromoimino-5,5-dimethyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazole 1-oxyls (7), and their diamagnetic precursors were determined. Compound 1 is kinetically unstable because it is oxidized with atmospheric oxygen to form (E)-1,2-bis[1-amino-1-(cyanoimino)-2-methyl-propan-2-yl]diazene 1,2-dioxide. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 3, pp. 441–447, March, 2006.     

Synthesis,structure, and physico-chemical properties of 3-methyl and 3,3-dimethyl derivatives of l-(4′,4′-dimethyl-2′,6′-dioxocyclohex-1′-yl)-3,4-dihydroisoquinoline

3,3-Dimethyl- and 3-methyl-1-(4,4-dimethyl-2,6-dioxocyclohex-1-yl)-3,4-dihydroisoquinolines have been synthesized. Crystal and molecular structures of the 3,3-dimethyl derivative have been determined. In the crystalline state this compound exists as a tautomeric form where a hydrogen atom is located at the N atom of the dihydroisoquinoline fragment of the molecule. The tautomeric equilibrium does not shift noticeably in solutions, as shown by IR, UV, and NMR spectroscopy.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 2, pp. 331–336, February, 1993.     

Comparative Evaluation of CE and HPLC for Determination of Cotinine in Human Urine

Two rapid and popular methods—capillary electrophoresis (CE) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) have been compared for analysis of cotinine in human urine. Cotinine was analyzed in less than 7 min, with detection limits of 5 and 3.2 ng mL⁻¹ for CE and HPLC, respectively. The performance of the methods was evaluated in terms of sensitivity, specificity, precision, accuracy, and limits of detection and quantification. Calibration plots were linear in the range 50–4,000 ng mL⁻¹, at least, and mean recoveries were satisfactory for both techniques. The methods were successfully used for quantification of cotinine in urine.     

Synthesis, characterization and antifungal activity of copper (II) complexes of sterically hindered o-diphenol derivatives

Cu (II) complexes with 3,5-di(tert-butyl)-1,2-benzenediol (I), 4,6-di(tert-butyl)-1,2,3-benzentriol (II) and sulfur-containing sterically hindered o-diphenol derivatives such as 4,6-di(tert-butyl)-3-(2-hydroxyethylsulfanyl)-1,2-benzenediol (III) and 2-[4,6-di(tert-butyl)-2,3-dihydroxyphenylsulfanyl]acetic acid (IV) have been synthesized and characterized by means of elemental analysis, TG/DTA, FT-IR, ESR, XPS, XPD and conductivity measurements. Antifungal activities of these ligands and their respective Cu (II) complexes have been determined against Aspergillus niger, Fusarium sp., Penicillium lividum, Mucor sp. and Botrytis cinerea. Most of the compounds (both the free ligands and the complexes) exert pronounced antifungal activities (RI  70%), and virtually all of them (apart from the Cu(L^II)₂ complex) have the highest inhibitory properties (RI = 100%) against B. cinerea.     

Preservation of sensitive CRMs and monitoring their stability at IRMM

Over the years, the nature of CRMs has changed considerably. Recently, more and more CRMs have been certified in their "natural" form, that is processed as little as possible, with analytes at their natural concentration level. This and the trend towards certified properties other than the concentrations of clearly defined molecules/elements have made guaranteeing stability of CRMs and estimating a shelf life an even more important issue for reference material producers than it has been before. One way to meet this challenge is to take more care in processing, storage and dispatch of CRMs. At IRMM, approximately 20 % of the RMs are stored at –20 °C or below and about 10% require cooled transportation. In addition, increased efforts for assessing stability are needed. Shelf lives are estimated using addition of an uncertainty component based on real-temperature stability studies rather than by accelerated stability studies. These pre-certification efforts are complemented by a stability-monitoring program, which at IRMM includes 80 % of the non-nuclear and non-isotopic materials. Although the costs for these efforts are high in absolute terms, they are only a minor and indispensable contribution to the total costs of CRM production.     

Synthesis, structure, and electrochemical properties of 12,42-dioxo-21,31-diphenyl-7,10,13-trioxa-1,4(3,1)-diquinoxalina-2(2,3),3(3,2)-diindolizinacyclopentadecaphane

The oxidative dehydrocyclization of the 3-(indolizin-2′-yl)-2-oxoquinoxaline monopodand performed either electrochemically or under the action of molecular iodine affords new redox-active heterocyclophane consisting of the redox-switchable biindolizine fragment combined with the polyether-bridged π-deficient quinoxaline systems. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction study showed that the trioxaundecane chain of heterocyclophane adopts an extended conformation, and one of the phenyl substituents of the molecule closes the pseudocavity formed by the spacer from one of the sides. The cyclic voltammetric study of heterocyclophane in MeCN and DMF showed the three-step oxidation of the indolizine fragments accompanied by the single-electron transfer in each step. The first and third steps are reversible, and the second step is irreversible. The oxidation at potentials of the first peak gives rise to stable radical cations detected by the ESR method (g = 2.0024, a _2N = 0.26 mT). Dedicated to Professor E. A. Berdnikov on the occasion of his 70th birthday. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 10, pp. 1991–2003, October, 2007.     

A differential microcalorimetric study of whey proteins and their behaviour in oil-in-water emulsions

Oil-in-water emulsions (20% soya oil, 1% protein) have been prepared containing lysozyme or isolates of -lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin from whey protein. The structural characteristics of these proteins adsorbed at an oil/water interface were determined by following their thermal transitions using differential scanning microcalorimetry. Thermograms of the proteins in the adsorbed state differed markedly from the corresponding transitions seen for the proteins in solution. This suggests that the proteins underwent substantial changes in secondary and tertiary structure upon adsorption. In general, for all the proteins studied, a net decrease in the total energy absorbed during denaturation was found when the proteins were in an adsorbed state. Both lysozyme and -lactalbumin were in part “surface denatured”, and they showed a certain degree of reversibility between solution and the adsorbed state. β-Lactoglobulin showed the highest degree of denaturation upon adsorption and the conformational change was irreversible.     

Comparative FT infrared study of structural changes occuring on dealumination of zeolite Na-Y with ethylenediaminetetraacetic or hydrochloric acid

IR lattice vibration spectra were used to monitor the changes in the structure of zeolite Na-Y upon its dealumination with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) or with HCl. The terminal Si-O(H,Na) bonds thus formed (which are detectable by characteristic absorbance at v 900–950 cm^–1) are energetically less uniform when EDTA has been used as the dealuminating agent. This inhomogeneity is connected with the local deformations of zeolite structure which result in lowering the symmetry of silicon-oxygen tetrahedra. As a consequence, two novel bands appear at v 1090 cm^–1 and 1200 cm^–1 in addition to the fundamental absorption bands, v_as (TO₄) (T = Si, Al), at 1030 cm^–1 and 1145 cm^–1. A mechanism of dealumination is proposed, which takes into account the topochemical peculiarities involved in the chelation of the framework aluminum ions with EDTA.Translated fromIzyestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskay, No. 2, pp. 284–287, February, 1993.