Investigating ion-surface collisions with a niobium superconducting tunnel junction detector in a time-of-flight mass spectrometer

The performance of an energy sensitive, niobium superconducting tunnel junction (STJ) detector is investigated by measuring the pulse height produced by impacting molecular and atomic ions at different kinetic energies. Ions are produced by laser desorption and matrix-assisted laser desorption in a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Our results show that the STJ detector pulse height decreases for increasing molecular ion mass, passes through a minimum at around 2000 Da, and then increases with increasing mass of molecular ions above 2000 Da. The detector does not show a decline in sensitivity for high mass ions as is observed with microchannel plate ion detectors. These detector plus height measurements are discussed in terms of several physical mechanisms involved in an ion-surface collision.     

ROTATIONAL DIFFUSION OF RHODAMINE 6G IN HUMAN BLOOD SERUM

Abstract —The time-dependent rotational relaxation of Rhodamine 6G in fresh and dried human blood serum was investigated using picosecond phasefluorometry. Measurements were also carried out in aqueous solutions of amino acids, glucose, urea, and bovine serum albumin to evaluate our model for the interactions. It is shown that the distribution of Rhodamine 6G between the aqueous and the protein phase of the blood serum strongly depends on protein concentration and temperature.     

Zur Kenntnis der Reaktionsfähigkeit des Thiomorpholins und alkylsubstituierter Thiomorpholine, 4. Mitt.

Thiomorpholine as well as alkyl substituted thiomorpholines and their Sdioxides, respectively, are transformed into the corresponding N-Aminothiomorpholines by nitrosation (1–5) followed by the reduction with zinc in acetic acid/acetic acid anhydride under simultaneous formation of the corresponding N-acetyl derivates, and hydrolysis by hydrochloric acid (6–9). Examples of this method are described. 4-Aminothiomorpholines and their Sdioxides react with aldehydes or ketones to give azomethines (10–31). Acylation with mono-and dicarbonic acid chlorides leads to the N-acyl derivatives32–44.Mannich condensation is also possible. By oxidation with yellow mercury oxide tetracenes are formed (46–47).

Teil der DissertationM. Schmitz, Techn. Hochschule Aachen, 1975.     

Distillation, on-line RP C18 preconcentration and HPLC-UV-PCO-CVAAS as a new combination for the determination of methylmercury in sediments and fish tissue

 Distillation as a way of sample digestion has been combined with on-line RP C18 preconcentration and HPLC-UV-PCO-CVAAS (high performance liquid chromatography – ultra violet – post column oxidation – cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry) for the determination of methylmercury at background levels in sediments, soils and fish tissue. To prove the accuracy of this method, it was applied to sediment and fish tissue reference materials. The results correspond with the reference values within their error ranges. Excellent recoveries (92–95%) were obtained for the sediment samples by means of the standard addition method. The standard deviations of the sediment samples were within an acceptable range (7.2–12.5%), those of the fish samples were substantially lower (3.4–5.0%). The detection limit is 0.04 ng/g for 1 g sample weight. Received: 23 November 1995/Revised: 16 April 1996/Accepted: 20 April 1996     

N-Heterocyclic Olefins as Electron Donors in Combination with Triarylborane Acceptors: Synthesis,Optical and Electronic Properties of D–π–A Compounds

N-heterocyclic olefins (NHOs), relatives of N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs), exhibit high nucleophilicity and soft Lewis basic character. To investigate their π-electron donating ability, NHOs were attached to triarylborane π-acceptors (A) giving donor (D)–π–A compounds 1 – 3 . In addition, an enamine π-donor analogue ( 4 ) was synthesized for comparison. UV–visible absorption studies show a larger red shift for the NHO-containing boranes than for the enamine analogue, a relative of cyclic (alkyl)(amino) carbenes (CAACs). Solvent-dependent emission studies indicate that 1 – 4 have moderate intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT) behavior. Electrochemical investigations reveal that the NHO-containing boranes have extremely low reversible oxidation potentials (e.g., for 3 , =−0.40 V vs. ferrocene/ferrocenium, Fc/Fc⁺, in THF). Time-dependent (TD) DFT calculations show that the HOMOs of 1 – 3 are much more destabilized than that of the enamine-containing 4 , which confirms the stronger donating ability of NHOs.     

Configurationally and conformationally homogeneous cyclic n-aryl sulfimides—IV : Synthesis,configuration and stereochemistry of the rearrangement of 1,3-di-thiane-1-N-p-chlorophenylimides

1,3-Dithiane-1-N-p-chlorophenylimides (1,4-9) were prepared and their configuration and conformation was determined by ¹H and ¹³C NMR. The compounds were rearranged to the corresponding 2-(2'-amino-5'-chlorophenyl)-1, 3-dithianes (1U,4U,9U). The rearrangement reactions took place with ?95% stereospecifity. The mechanism of the reaction was investigated with the aid of analogs specifically deuterated at C-2.     

Retention behavior of humic substances in reversed phase HPLC

Recovery as well as appearance and abundance (in percent) of different fractions of humic substances are found to depend on injected sample amounts in reversed phase HPLC. Sample amounts have been varied both by varying sample concentration and sample volume. In case of lowest amounts injected only two fractions were obtained for a commercial humic acid sodium salt, i.e. one for excluded molecules and one for hydrophobic components. The abundance of excluded molecules decreases upon increasing amounts injected. Another three fractions are obtained upon increasing amount injected: a hydrophilic fraction and two hydrophobic ones. This behavior is explained by auxiliary equilibria between excluded components and humic molecules previously adsorbed on the stationary phase.     

A general formalism of deriving the pair potential of polymer chains for arbitrary interaction potentials between isolated chain segments at and close to the theta-point

A formalism has been worked out which allows to transform any non-punctiform segment-segment potential of isolated polymer segments ε of fairly short-ranged character into the pair-potentialU operating between linear polymer chains with a certain reference to the arguments as they have been originally put forward byFlory andKrigbaum. Although no restrictions are made in the derivation as to the repulsive or attractive contribution of the segment-segment potential ε because of some known general deficiencies of theFlory-Krigbaum treatment for exclusively repulsive interaction, the resulting equations are primarily intended to describe the thermodynamic situation at and close to the θ-point where repulsion and attraction—though working at different ranges of segment separation—cancel. As the equation derived is somewhat complicated two different approximate forms have been developed: The first one is based on aTaylor series expansion retaining terms up to the fourth order which allows to characterizeU by the second and the fourth moment of the pair segment-segment distribution function, β and γ (β being the so-called binary cluster integral of segment-segment interaction, which is considered to be zero for θ-conditions). In this caseU may be represented by an expression of the general form $$U/kT = A(1 - BR^2 )\exp \{ - bR^2 \} .$$ The second method is based on a separate integration over the repulsive and attractive ranges of ε giving the repulsive (U ₊) and the attractive (U _?) part ofU finally after some approximations leading to an equation of the general form $$U/kT = (U_ + + U_ - )/kT = A_1 \exp \{ - b_1 R^2 \} - A_2 \exp \{ - b_2 R^2 \} .$$ In both cases the knowledge of the exact form of ε is dispensable, only β and γ—or for the second case their repulsive (β₊ and γ₊) and attractive (β_? and γ_?) parts have to be known. It is shown that the approximations are in excellent accordance with the exact form so that they may be conveniently used to describe pair potentials of polymer chains and to analyze pair potentials of segment-segment interactions under the limitations and conditions indicated.     

IDENTIFICATION OF THE PROTON ACCEPTOR OF SCHIFF BASE DEPROTONATION IN BACTERIORHODOPSIN: A FOURIER-TRANSFORM-INFRARED STUDY OF THE MUTANT ASP85 → GLU IN ITS NATURAL LIPID ENVIRONMENT

Abstract— In order to assign the proton acceptor for Schiff base deprotonation in bacteriorhodopsin to a specific Asp residue, the photoreaction of the Asp85 → Glu mutant, as expressed in Halobacterium sp . GRB, was investigated by static low-temperature and time-resolved infrared difference spec-troscopy. Measurements were also performed on the mutant protein labeled with [4-¹³C]Asp which allowed discrimination between Asp and Glu residues. 14,15-di¹³C-retinal was incorporated to distinguish amide-II absorbance changes from changes of the ethylenic mode of the chromophore. In agreement with earlier UV-VIS measurements, our data show that from both the 540 and 610 nm species present in a pH-dependent equilibrium, intermediates similar to K and L can be formed. The 14 ms time-resolved spectrum of the 540 nm species shows that a glutamic acid becomes protonated in the M-like intermediate, whereas the comparable difference spectrum of the 610 nm species demonstrates that in the initial state a glutamic acid is already protonated. In conjunction with earlier observations of protonation of an Asp residue in wild-type M, the data provide direct evidence that the proton acceptor in the deprotonation reaction of the Schiff base is Asp85.