High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of Levetiracetam in human plasma: comparison of different sample clean-up procedures

An accurate and precise high-performance liquid chromatographic method using diode array detection for the determination of the novel antiepileptic, Levetiracetam, has been developed. Three clean-up procedures for the analysis of Levetiracetam in human plasma were implemented and evaluated, namely solid-phase extraction, deproteinization by addition of organic solvents and formation of insoluble salts. Adenosine was used as the internal standard for all three sample pretreatment procedures. Among the several cartridges used for solid-phase extraction, the hydrophilic-lypophilic balance (Oasis) HLB) phase provides the best extraction yield of Levetiracetam, together with high precision. With the two other clean-up procedures involving plasma deproteinization by addition of methanol or zinc sulphate, lower sensitivity and precision of the assays were obtained. However, they are cheaper and faster when compared with the solid-phase extraction procedure.     

HPLC quantification of flavonoids and biflavonoids inCupressaceae leaves

Summary The aim of this investigation was to obtain qualitative and quantitative profiles of the flavonoid and biflavonoid composition of six cypress species—Cupressus funebris L.,Cupressus sempervirens L.,Cupressus glabra L.,Cupressus arizonica L.,Cupressus goveniana L., andCupressus lusitanica L. HPLC-diode-array detection (DAD), HPLC-MS, and HPTLC were used to identify the individual compounds. A chromatographic method was optimized for identification and quantification of the main flavonoid glycosides and biflavonoids. The flavonoids identified and calibrated were: rutin, quercetin glucoside, quercetin rhamnoside, and kaempferol 3-O-rhamnoside. The biflavonoids identified and calibrated were: cupressuflavone, amentoflavone, robustaflavone, hinokiflavone, methylrobustaflavone, methylamentoflavone, and dimethylcupressuflavone.     

N-TiO2/ZnO复合纳米管阵列的掺杂机理及其光催化活性

以ZnO纳米柱阵列为模板, 采用溶胶-凝胶法制备出TiO2/ZnO和N掺杂TiO2/ZnO的复合纳米管阵列. 扫描电镜(SEM)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)和紫外-可见漫反射吸收光谱(UV-Vis)的结果表明: 两种阵列的纳米管均为六角形结构, 直径约为100 nm, 壁厚约为20 nm; 在N-TiO2/ZnO复合纳米管阵列中, 掺入的N离子主要是以N-Ox、N-C和N-N的形式化学吸附在纳米管表面, 仅有少量的N离子以取代式掺杂的方式占据TiO2晶格O的位置; 表面N物种形成的表面态能级和取代式掺杂导致带隙的窄化, 增强了纳米管阵列的光吸收效率, 促进了光生载流子的分离. 光催化实验结果表明, N离子的掺杂有利于N-TiO2/ZnO复合纳米管阵列光催化活性的提高.     

Electrochemical Detection of MS2 Phage Using a Bead‐based Immunoassay and a NanoIDA

A microbead based sandwich immunoassay for MS2 bacteriophage was developed using an interdigitated array (IDA) electrode with nanoscale dimensions (220 nm electrode width, 620 nm gap). The IDA was fabricated using an electron beam lithographic lift‐off technique. After an antibody‐assisted capture of MS2 using paramagnetic microbeads, a β‐galactosidase labeled secondary antibody was used to convert p‐aminophenyl‐β‐D ‐galactopyranoside (PAPG) into the redox active p‐aminophenol (PAP). Amperometric detection of PAP with IDA electrodes at +300 and ?200 mV vs. a Ag/AgCl reference electrode was used to measure the result, detecting MS2 concentrations as low as 10 ng/mL.     

An In Situ Copper Plated Boron‐Doped Diamond Microelectrode Array for the Sensitive Electrochemical Detection of Nitrate

The first example of using a copper microelectrode array for use in electroanalysis is explored and exemplified with the electroanalytical quantification of nitrate. The analytical approach is based upon the in situ deposition of copper at a boron‐doped diamond (BDD) microelectrode array. The immobilized copper layer is electrocatalytic for nitrate reduction and exhibits an analytically useful range from 1.2 to 124 μM with a marked selectivity for nitrate ion over nitrate, with a limit of detection of 0.76 μM. The analytical applicability was examined through standard addition determinations of nitrate in drinking and river water samples.     

Synthesis, crystal structure and properties of the Cu complex of a tetradentate imidazole-functionalized diazamesocyclic ligand, 1,4-bis(N-1-methylimidazol-2-yl-methyl)-1,4-diazacycloheptane

A new potential tetradentate ligand, 1,4-bis(N-1-methylimidazol-2-ylmethyl)-1,4-diazacycloheptane (l), together with its Cu^II complex [CulCl]ClO₄ (1), has been reported. The crystal structure of 1, determined by single-crystal X-ray analysis, shows that it is in chiral P2₁2₁2₁ space group. The Cu^II centre is penta-coordinated in square pyramidal geometry and the diazacycloheptane (DACH) ring adopts normal boat configuration. The most striking feature of this complex is the formation of a 3D network bridged through the C-H?Cl hydrogen bonds with the perchlorate anions in the cavities, and stabilized via π-π stacking interactions along the a-direction. The solution behaviour of 1 has been further investigated by UV/Vis and ESR techniques.     

Application of an integrated microchip system with capillary array electrophoresis to optimization of enzymatic reactions

In this work, a combination of complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) microchip system with capillary array electrophoresis (CAE) is demonstrated as a system for optimizing conditions for enzymatic reaction. Dimethylacridinone (DDAO)-phosphate substrate and alkaline phosphatase conjugate were selected for the enzymatic reaction, which was applicable to the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. Laser-induced fluorometry with a miniature semiconductor laser was used to detect the enzymatic products. The speed of the enzymatic reaction between the DDAO-phosphate and the alkaline phosphatase conjugate was investigated as a function of reaction time. The microchip-CAE detection system could determine the pH condition and the concentration of enzyme that are suitable for rapid and low-cost analysis. This result shows the feasibility of using the microchip-CAE system for application to miniaturized screening systems.     

N-TiO2/ZnO复合纳米管阵列的掺杂机理及其光催化活性

以ZnO纳米柱阵列为模板, 采用溶胶-凝胶法制备出TiO2/ZnO和N掺杂TiO2/ZnO的复合纳米管阵列. 扫描电镜(SEM)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)和紫外-可见漫反射吸收光谱(UV-Vis)的结果表明: 两种阵列的纳米管均为六角形结构, 直径约为100 nm, 壁厚约为20 nm; 在N-TiO2/ZnO复合纳米管阵列中, 掺入的N离子主要是以N-Ox、N-C和N-N的形式化学吸附在纳米管表面, 仅有少量的N离子以取代式掺杂的方式占据TiO2晶格O的位置; 表面N物种形成的表面态能级和取代式掺杂导致带隙的窄化, 增强了纳米管阵列的光吸收效率, 促进了光生载流子的分离. 光催化实验结果表明, N离子的掺杂有利于N-TiO2/ZnO复合纳米管阵列光催化活性的提高.     

Fused silica capillary tube isotachophoresis using a multichannel photodiode array detector

Isotachophoresis carried out in a 0.25 mm i.d. fused-silica capillary tube yielded high resolution, compared with that in a fluorinated ethylene-propylene polymer tube. The use of an ultraviolet-visible multichannel spectrophotometer with photodiode array as detector together with a cross flow cell (volume 0.01 μl) was investigated. The system was successfully applied to the analysis of cationic dyes such as neutral red, bismarck brown, and basic fuchsine.     

Novel Fabrication of Conductive Polymers Contained Micro‐Array Gas Sensitive Films Using A Micromanipulation Method

A novel method for fabricating a micro gas sensor film on an indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode patterned using micro‐machining technology was developed. A micromanipulation system equipped with a counter electrode (Au; Ø10 μm) and a microsyringe, which was connected to a microinjection system, was first constructed. With this system, micro gas sensor arrays could be successfully prepared on ITO electrodes. Two kinds of micro gas sensor films were prepared, based on polythiophene (PTh) and poly(3‐n‐dodecylthiophene) (PD). The response behavior of conventional PTh and micro‐PTh films against NH₃ at three different operating temperatures (25, 40 and 60 °C) was investigated by measuring the resistance of the film. With the micro‐PTh film, a reversible response was observed against NH₃ when measured at 40 and 60 °C. In addition, the responsive characteristics of the microsensor films against different testing gases were examined at the three operating temperatures. The resistance of the microsensor films of PTh and PD changed considerably, depending on the type of testing gas, allowing these sensor films to be used for the detection of various gases. Furthermore, the microsensor films had a high stability compared with conventional films prepared from the same polymer.