New carbon nanofiber/graphite felt composite for use as a catalyst support for hydrazine catalytic decomposition

Graphite felt supporting 40 nm diameter carbon nanofibers was synthesized and successfully used as a support for a high loaded iridium catalyst (30 wt%) in the decomposition of hydrazine; a strong mechanical resistance and a high thermal conductivity led to a very efficient and stable catalyst as compared to that used industrially, iridium supported on a high surface area alumina.     

Direct quantitative determination of surface Brønsted acidity of solids by H/D exchange using D2O

A highly flexible method for direct and quantitative determination of surface Br?nsted acidity of solids in terms of number, type and strength of the acid sites based on quantitative H/D exchange kinetics between the acid solid and gaseous D2O has been developed and applied to materials covering the whole range of acidity.     

Comparison of yellow poplar pretreatment between NREL digester and sunds hydrolyzer

Single-stage cocurrent dilute acid pretreatments were carried out on yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) sawdust using an as-installed and short residence time modified pilot-scale Sunds hydrolyzer and a 4-L bench-scale NREL digester (steam explosion reactor). Pretreatment conditions for the Sunds hydrolyzer, installed in the NREL process development unit (PDU), which operates at 1 t/d (bone-dry t) feed rate, spanned the temperature range of 160 – 210°C, 0.1 – 1.0% (w/w) sulfuric acid, and 4-10-min residence times. The batch pretreatments of yellow poplar sawdust in the bench-scale digester were carried out at 210 and 230°C, 0.26% (w/w) sulfuric acid, and 1-, 3-, and 4-min residence times. The dilute acid prehydrolysis solubilized more than 90% of the hemicellulose, and increased the enzymatic digestibility of the cellulose that remained in the solids. Compositional analysis of the pretreated solids and liquors and mass balance data show that the two pretreatment devices had similar pretreatment performance.     

Die Kristallstruktur von AgCu3Cu(AsO4)3 und ihre strukturellen Beziehungen zu AgCo3H2(AsO4)3 bzw. AgZn3H2(AsO4)3

Crystal Structure of AgCu₃Cu(AsO₄)₃ and its Structural Relations to AgCo₃H₂(AsO₄)₃ and AgZn₃H₂ (AsO₄)₃ The compound AgCu₃Cu(AsO₄)₃ was synthesized and investigated by X-rays. It crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c with a = 1 212.7(2), b = 1 249.0(2), c = 727.8(1) pm, β = 117.94(1)°, Z = 4. The structure is closely related to the structures of AgCo₃H₂(AsO₄)₃ and AgZn₃H₂(AsO₄)₃. Only two hydrogen atoms are replaced by an additional copper atom forming a copper coordination square instead of two hydrogen bridges. The remaining copper atoms are sixfold coordinated with the generally observed Jahn-Teller distortion. Whereas in AgCo₃H₂(AsO₄)₃ and AgZn₃H₂(AsO₄)₃ silver has a (4+4) coordination, it is in this compound distinctly eightfold coordinated.     

Platinum metallodrug-protein binding studies by capillary electrophoresis-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry: characterization of interactions between Pt(II) complexes and human serum albumin

Characterizing how platinum metallocomplexes bind to human serum albumin (HSA) is essential in evaluating anticancer drug candidates. Using cisplatin as a reference complex, the application of capillary electrophoresis (CE) to reliably assess drug/HSA interactions was validated. Since this complex is small compared to the size of the protein, the binding response could only be recognized when applying CE coupled to a (platinum) metal-specific mode of detection, namely inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). This coupling allowed for confirmation of a specific affinity of cisplatin and novel Pt complexes to HSA, measurement of the kinetics of binding reactions, and determination of the number of drug molecules attached to the protein. As the cisplatin/HSA molar ratio increased, the reaction rate became faster with a maximum on the kinetic curve appearing at about 50 h of incubation at 20 times excess of cisplatin. The reaction was characterized as a pseudo-first order reaction with the rate constant k = 0.003 min(-1) at 37 degrees C. When incubated with a 20-fold excess of cisplatin, HSA bound up to 10 mol of Pt per mol of the protein. This is indicative for a strong metal-protein coordination occurring at several HSA sites other than the only protein cysteine residue. Structural analogs of cisplatin, bearing aminoalcohol ligands, showed comparable protein binding reactivity and stoichiometry but a common equilibrium was not reached even after one week of incubation. Also apparent was a two-step mechanism of the binding reaction. Results demonstrated the suitability of CE-ICP-MS as a rapid assay for high-throughput studying of drug/HSA interactions.     

Zur Theorie der Chiralitätsfunktionen

The Algebraic Theory of Chirality Functions is derived by means of exclusively qualitative considerations. Hence, the significance of quantitative results is questionable. Moreover the construction of “Näherungsansätze” (”Approximation-Ansatz”), which may be interpreted as semiempirical methods, is achieved on the basis of plausibility and mathematical simplicity. Since physical arguments are not included, the consistency or inconsistency of “Näherungsansätze” with experimental results do not justify direct physical conclusions.     

Feasibility of using solid sampling graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry for speciation analysis of volatile and non-volatile compounds of nickel and vanadium in crude oil

A method for the direct determination of volatile and non-volatile nickel and vanadium compounds in crude oil without previous treatment using direct solid sampling graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry is proposed. The crude oil samples were weighed directly onto solid sampling platforms using a microbalance and introduced into a transversely heated solid sampling graphite tube. In previous work of our group losses of volatile nickel and vanadium compounds have been detected, whereas other nickel and vanadium compounds were thermally stable up to 1300 and 1600 °C, respectively. In order to avoid this problem different chemical modifiers (conventional and permanent) have been investigated. With 400 μg of iridium as permanent modifier, the signal started to drop already after two atomization cycles, possibly because of an interaction of nickel (which is a catalyst poison) with iridium. Twenty micrograms of palladium applied in each determination was found to be optimum for both elements. The palladium was deposited on the platform and submitted to a drying step at 150 °C for 75 s. After that the sample was added onto the platform and submitted to the furnace program. The influence of sample mass on the linearity of the response and on potential measurement errors was also investigated using four samples with different nickel content. For the sample with the lowest nickel concentration the relationship between mass and integrated absorbance was found to be non-linear when a high sample mass was introduced. It was suspected that the modifier had not covered the entire platform surface, which resulted in analyte losses. This problem could be avoided by using 40 μL of 0.5 g L⁻¹ Pd with 0.05% Triton X-100. Calibration curves were established with and without modifier, with aqueous standards, oil-in-water emulsions and the certified reference material NIST SRM 1634c (trace metals in residual fuel oil). The sensitivity for aqueous standards and emulsions was close to that for SRM 1634c, making possible the use of aqueous standards for calibration. The limits of detection and quantification obtained for nickel and vanadium under this condition were found to be 0.02 and 0.06 μg g⁻¹, respectively, for both elements, based on 10 mg of sample. Nickel and vanadium were determined in the samples with (total Ni and V) and without the use of Pd (thermally stable compounds), and the concentration of volatile compounds was calculated by difference. The results were compared with those obtained by high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry by emulsion technique; no significant differences were found for total Ni and V at the 95% confidence level according to a Student's t-test.     

X-ray diffraction/Calorimetry coupling

Polymorphism of trilaurin mixed with 4% of cholesterol was studied with a setup coupling calorimetry and phase characterisation by in-situ X-ray diffraction (Microcalix). Four polymorphic forms were identified. Monotropic and enantiotropic transitions were identified from the reconstruction of Gibbs free energy diagram which allows the control of trilaurin polymorphism. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Darstellung und Kristallstruktur von HgPb2O(OH)Br3

Inhaltsübersicht. Die erstmals dargestellte Verbindung HgPb₂O(OH)Br₃ kristallisiert orthorhombisch in der Raumgruppe Aba2 (Nr. 41) mit den Gitterkonstanten a = 14,652(3) Å, b = 14,6491(8) Å, c = 7,782(2) Å und Z = 8. Die Bestimmung der Kristallstruktur mit Einkristallmethoden zeigte “isolierte”, verzerrt würfelförmige Baugruppen der Zusammensetzung [Hg₂Pb₄O₂(OH)₂]. Diese Einheiten werden von Bromidionen umhüllt. HgPb₂O(OH)Br₃ stellt damit hinsichtlich des strukturellen Aufbaus ein Bindeglied zwischen den Verbindungen [Pb₄(OH)₄](ClO₄)₄ · 2H₂O [1] und Pb₉O₄Br₁₀ [2] dar. Preparation and Crystal Structure of HgPb₂O(OH)Br₃ The new compound, HgPb₂O(OH)Br₃ was prepared and investigated by X-ray crystal structure analysis. Crystals of orthorhombic symmetry show space group Aba2 (No. 41) with lattice parameters a = 14.652(3) Å, b = 14.6491(8) Å, c = 7.782(2) Å, and Z = 8. Remarcable structural units with heterocubane skeleton were found. The [Hg₂Pb₄O₂(OH)₂] group forms a new member of the structural class between [Pb₄(OH)₄] and [Pb₈O₄] units with the relating compounds [Pb₄(OH)₄)](ClO₄)₄ · 2 H₂O [1] und Pb₉O₄Br₁₀ [2].