One-pot synthesis of new 6-(alkylamine)dibenzo[c,e][1,2]oxaphosphinine-6-oxides

Several new 6-(alkylamine)-6H-dibenz[c,e][1,2]oxaphosphinine-6-oxides were prepared through a one-pot reaction, starting with 2-phenylphenol, phosphorus trichloride, and a Zn catalyst, to form 6-chloro-6H-dibenz[c,e][1,2]oxaphosphine. The alkylamine derivatives were subsequently prepared through a nucleophilic substitution reaction involving aliphatic amines and H₂O₂ oxidation under soft conditions. This method has the advantages that it is a one-pot synthesis, does not require an inert atmosphere, and involves in situ catalyst formation.     

Solvent- and metal-free selective oxidation of thiols to disulfides using I2/DMSO catalytic system

We describe herein a simple, fast and inexpensive protocol for the oxidative coupling of thiols employing a stoichiometric amount of DMSO and iodine as the catalyst. Various aromatic disulfides were obtained in good to excellent yields in short reaction times at room temperature, while aliphatic disulfides were achieved in good yields when the reactions were conducted under microwave irradiation.     

Quantification of Quercetin Using Glassy Carbon Electrodes Modified with Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Dispersed in Polyethylenimine and Polyacrylic Acid

This work reports the highly sensitive detection of quercetin using glassy carbon electrodes modified with multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) dispersed in polyethylenimine and poly(acrylic acid). The adsorptive stripping with square wave voltammetric transduction allowed the detection of 7.5 nM quercetin after 1.0 min accumulation at open circuit potential. The amperometric detection at 0.150 V is reported as an easier and simpler alternative to determine quercetin, with detection limits of 0.2 µM. The careful selection of the working conditions also made possible the detection of submicromolar levels of quercetin in the presence of excess of rutin. The proposed methodology was successfully used to quantify quercetin in onion samples.     

Fingerprinting of bottle-grade poly(ethylene terephthalate) via matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) has been shown to provide a valuable technique to study the thermomechanical degradation of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). MALDI-MS has been tested to monitor both the admixture of post-consumption bottle-grade PET (PET_pc-btg) with virgin bottle-grade PET (PET_v-btg) and the thermomechanical degradation effects on the chemical properties of PET_v-btg. Principal component analysis of MALDI-MS data classify the samples into groups with specific features: a) PET-btg with intrinsic viscosities of 0.80 or 0.65-0.60 dL g⁻¹); b) processed or virgin PET with the same intrinsic viscosity; c) PET_v-btg from PET containing PET_pc-btg; and d) PET_v-btg from different manufacturers. MALDI-MS data is therefore able to reveal the quality of PET-btg resins preventing frauds and illegal use of recycled PET-btg.     

Selective synthesis of mono- and distannylpyridines from chloropyridinols via an SRN1 mechanism

A selective two-step synthesis of either mono- or distannylated pyridines from commercially available pyridinols, involving its conversion to the corresponding diethyl pyridyl phosphates (pyDEP) followed by the reaction with Me₃SnNa in liquid ammonia, is described.The results obtained clearly indicate that the reactions proceed through an unimolecular radical nucleophilic substitution mechanism (S_RN1) with intermediacy of a monosubstitution product.     

Determination of different recreational drugs in hair by HS-SPME and GC/MS

A simple procedure combining headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to detect and quantify amphetamines, ketamine, methadone, cocaine, cocaethylene and ∆⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in hair is described. This procedure allows, in a single sample, even scant, analysis of drugs requiring different analytical conditions. A hair sample (10 mg) is washed and subjected to acidic hydrolysis. Then the HS-SPME is carried out (10 min at 90 °C) for amphetamines, ketamine, methadone, cocaine and cocaethylene. For derivatization of analytes, the fibre is introduced into the headspace of another closed vial containing acetic anhydride. After a chromatographic run, an alkaline hydrolysis for THC analysis is carried out in the same vial containing the hair sample previously used. For adsorption, the solid-phase microextraction needle is inserted into the headspace of the vial and the fibre is exposed for 30 min at 150 °C. For derivatization of analytes, the fibre is introduced into the headspace of another closed vial containing N-methyl-N-(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide. The GC/MS parameters were the same for both chromatographic runs. The linearity was proved to be between 0.01 and 10.00 ng/mg. The repeatability (intra- and interday precision) was below 10% as the coefficient of variation for all compounds. The accuracy, as the relative recovery, was 96.2–103.5% (spiked samples) and 88.6–101.7% (quality control sample). The limit of detection ranged from 0.01 to 0.12 ng/mg, and the limit of quantification ranged from 0.02 to 0.37 ng/mg. Application of the procedure to real hair samples is described. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed procedure combining HS-SPME and GC/MS is the first one be to successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of most of the common recreational drugs, including THC, in a single hair sample.     

Yet another proof of Marstrand’s theorem

In a paper from 1954 Marstrand proved that if K ⊂ ℝ² is a Borel set with Hausdorff dimension greater than 1, then its one-dimensional projection has positive Lebesgue measure for almost-all directions. In this article, we give a combinatorial proof of this theorem, extending the techniques developed in our previous paper [9].     

An analysis of Y2O3:Eu thin films for thermographic phosphor applications

A comparative study of the luminescent properties of Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ phosphor powders and thin films sputtered from targets prepared from combustion synthesized powders is reported. Thin films of (Y_0.96Eu_0.04)₂O₃ were deposited on silicon substrates. Films deposited at 600 °C had both monoclinic and cubic phases of Y₂O₃, which developed to an oriented cubic phase after annealing. Films and powders showed a linear dependence of the intensity of the ⁵D₇→⁷F₂ (611 nm) transition with temperature in the range 26-660 °C with an average rate of change of 1.8×10⁻⁴ °C⁻¹. The rate of change appears to be dependent on the Eu³⁺ concentration. This work shows that these thin films can be used as thermographic phosphors for remote temperature measurements.     

Self-imaging by a volume grating

The self-image phenomenon by a volume grating is proposed and theoretically analyzed. A theoretical model based on a path integral formulation to describe wave propagation through the grating inhomogeneous medium is applied. A modified version of the scalar diffraction theory Fresnel propagator is obtained which allows calculating the diffracted field amplitude by the grating. The proposed model is applied to amplitude and/or phase volume gratings. Remarkable features appear, in particular at the fractional Talbot distance 0.125z_T. In this case, if an in-phase real and imaginary grating modulation is considered a self-image intensity profile is observed for determined values of the absorptive and refractive parameters. On the other hand, a spatial comb intensity profile for a near half period shift between the real and imaginary grating modulations is found.     

The finite <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-groups with <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis> conjugacy classes of non-normal subgroups

Let ν(G) be the number of conjugacy classes of non-normal subgroups of a finite group G. The finite groups for which ν(G) ≤ 2 were determined by Dedekind and by Schmidt in the early times of group theory. On the other hand, if G is a finite p-group, La Haye and Rhemtulla have proved that either ν(G) ≤ 1 or ν(G) ≥ p. In this note, we determine all finite p-groups satisfying ν(G) = p for p > 2.