Validation of an in-house measurement procedure for determination of selected priority hazardous substances in water and estimation of measurement uncertainty

Accreditation and Quality Assurance - This study investigates measurement procedure validation for the determination of hexachlorobenzene, pentachlorobenzene and trifluralin as priority hazardous...     

Separation of thorium from uranium ore

Thorium-230 has many research applications, but there is not a commercial source of this isotope. However, since ²³⁰Th is part of the ²³⁸U decay chain, it can be separated from naturally occurring uranium. In this work, a novel procedure was developed to separate thorium from uranium ore, consisting of leaching, liquid–liquid extraction, precipitations and ion exchange chromatography. The final product was 91.32?±?0.77 mg of thorium with a purity of 99.5?±?1.2 wt%. Of that, 7.65?±?0.10 mg was ²³⁰Th and the remainder ²³²Th. The total yield of ²³⁰Th was 71.1?±?5.4%. Ways to improve the yield by further processing the back-extraction solution are suggested.

     

Quinoline and ferrocene conjugates: Synthesis,computational study and biological evaluations

Novel O‐alkylated quinoline and N‐alkylated 4‐quinolone derivatives attached to the ferrocene moiety through 4,1‐ ( 7a–d , 8a–d and 12a–d ) and 1,4‐disubstituted ( 9a , 9b , 10a and 10b ) 1,2,3‐triazole moiety were synthesized. The observed regioselectivity of O‐ vs. N‐alkylation was explored by the use of NMR and computational techniques. Among the N‐alkylated derivatives, the quinolone‐ferrocene conjugate 9a displayed marked activities against chronic myeloid leukemia in blast crisis (K562) and Burkitt lymphoma (Raji). The 6‐chloroquinolone‐ferrocene conjugate 12c , with selective inhibitory activity on Raji cells and no cytostatic effect on normal MDCK1 cells was highlighted as the most promising anticancer organometallic complex in a group of O‐alkylated quinolines.     

Resolution of methyl nonactate by Rhodococcus erythropolis under aerobic and anaerobic conditions

[reaction: see text]. An efficient resolution of methyl nonactate is reported by biotransformation in shake flask cultures of Rhodococcus erythropolis. The equilibrium of the reaction redox system can be manipulated by switching from aerobic to anaerobic growth, thereby generating both enantiomers of the target in excellent yield and enantiomeric purity.     

Intraspecific Diversity within <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ganoderma lucidum</Emphasis> in the Production of Laccase and Mn-Oxidizing Peroxidases During Plant Residues Fermentation

Comparison of the potential for laccase and Mn-oxidizing peroxidases synthesis by ten strains of Ganoderma lucidum, originating from different worldwide areas, during solid-state fermentation of selected plant raw materials was the aim of this study. The great intraspecific variability in the production of analyzed enzymes as well as the dependence of the enzyme activity on plant raw materials were reported. The strain HAI 957 was the best laccase producer in the presence of corn stem, as a unique carbon source (129.46 U/L). The highest level of Mn-dependent peroxidase activity was noted after wheat straw fermentation by G. lucidum HAI 246 (78.64 U/L), while the maximal versatile peroxidase production (59.72 U/L) was observed in strain HAI 957 in the medium with oak sawdust.     

Characterization of a microfluidic dispensing system for localised stimulation of cellular networks

We present a 3-D microfluidic device designed for localized drug delivery to cellular networks. The device features a flow cell comprising a main channel for nutrient delivery as well as multiple channels for drug delivery. This device is one key component of a larger, fully integrated system now under development, based upon a microelectrode array (MEA) with on-chip CMOS circuitry for recording and stimulation of electrogenic cells (e.g. neurons, cardiomyocytes). As a critical system unit, the microfluidics must be carefully designed and characterized to ensure that candidate drugs are delivered to specific regions of the culture at known concentrations. Furthermore, microfluidic design and functionality is dictated by the size, geometry, and material/electrical characteristics of the CMOS MEA. Therefore, this paper reports on the design considerations and fabrication of the flow cell, including theoretical and experimental analysis of the mass transfer properties of the nutrient and drug flows, which are in good agreement with one another. To demonstrate proof of concept, the flow cell was mounted on a dummy CMOS chip, which had been plated with HL-1 cardiomyocytes. A test chemical compound was delivered to the cell culture in a spatially resolved manner. Envisioned applications of this stand-alone system include simultaneous toxicological testing of multiple compounds and chemical stimulation of natural neural networks for neuroscience investigations.     

Ferrocene Compounds. XXVII. Synthesis and Structure of 2-(Ferrocenylmethyl)propane-1,3-diol

The title compound was obtained by reduction of diethyl (ferrocenylmethyl)malonate with lithium aluminium hydride in diethyl ether. The structure of this novel ferrocene derivative was assigned by means of elemental analysis, IR, [¹H]NMR, and [¹³C]NMR spectroscopy. The structure was also confirmed by a single crystal X-ray study. The compound crystallizes in monoclinic P2₁/a space group with unit cell dimensions: a = 9.7360(6), b = 27.040(5), c = 14.767(3) Å, = 103.835(6)°, V = 3774.8(11) ų, Z = 12. The asymmetric unit contains three crystallographically independent molecules. In the ferrocenyl moieties, the Fe–C bond distance values are in the range 2.006(5)—2.051(3) Å and C–C distances in the range 1.366(7)–1.425(4) Å. The cyclopentadienyl rings in each of the molecules are mutually twisted by about 13° from the eclipsed conformation. The hydroxyl groups are involved in the intermolecular O–H...O hydrogen bond formation with O-O distances in the range 2.686(3)–2.801(4) Å forming infinite two-dimensional network in a [0 0 1] plane. The crystal structure is additionally stabilized by C–H-O weak intermolecular hydrogen bonds.     

A LFER Kinetic Study of The Reaction of 5‐Substituted Orotic Acids with Diazodiphenylmethane

Linear free energy relationships (LFER) were applied to the kinetic data for the reaction of 5‐substituted orotic acids, series 1 , with diazodiphenylmethane (DDM) in N,N–dimethylformamide and compared with results obtained for 2‐substituted benzoic acids, series 2 . The correlation analysis of the kinetic data with σ substituent parameters was carried out using SSP (single substituent parameter) methods. From the sign and value of proportinality constant ρ, lower sensitivity to the substituent effect was obtained in series 1 , 0.876, than in the series 2 , 1.877. Evaluation of substituent “ortho‐effect” was performed using the Charton model, which includes the steric substituent parameter, and Fujita and Nishioka's model, which describes the total ortho‐effect as contribution of ordinary polar effect, the ortho‐steric and ortho‐polar effects. Results of correlations, obtained by using the Charton model, showed highest contribution of the polar effect, 0.861 vs. 2.101, whereas the steric effect is of lowest significance, 0.117 vs. 0.055, for series 1 and 2 , respectively. Also, a low negative value of coefficient with the steric effect, –0.08, obtained from the Fujita–Nishioka model indicated low steric effect, influencing a decrease of the reaction rate in series 1 . The structural and substituent effects were also studied by using the density functional theory method, and together with kinetic data, it gave a better insight into the influence of the effect of both geometry and substituent on the π?electron density shift induced reactivity of investigated acids.