{(Mo)Mo5O21(H2O)3(SO4)}12(VO)30(H2O)20]36-: a molecular quantum spin icosidodecahedron

Self-assembly of aqueous solutions of molybdate and vanadate under reducing, mildly acidic conditions results in a polyoxomolybdate-based {Mo72V30} cluster compound Na8K16(VO)(H2O)5[K10 subset{(Mo)Mo5O21(H2O)3(SO4)}12(VO)30(H2O)20].150H2O, 1, a quantum spin-based Keplerate structure.     

A shock tube study of the OH + OH → H2O + O reaction

The rate coefficient for the reaction has been determined in mixtures of nitric acid (HNO₃) and argon in incident shock wave experiments. Quantitative OH time-histories were obtained by cw narrow-linewidth uv laser absorption of the R₁(5) line of the A² σ⁺ ← X² Π_i (0,0) transition at 32606.56 cm^?1 (vacuum). The experiments were conducted over the temperature range 1050–2380 K and the pressure range 0.18–0.60 atm. The second-order rate coefficient was determined to be with overall uncertainties of +11%, ?16% at high temperatures and +25%, ?22% at low temperatures. By incorporating data from previous investigations in the temperature range 298–578 K, the following expression is determined for the temperature range 298–2380 K © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Stereoselective template-directed C-glycosidation. Synthesis of 5-membered oxygen heterocycles via cation-mediated intramolecular cyclization reactions

Construction of 5-membered oxygen heterocycles by intramolecular template-directed C-glycosidation is described. Alkylation of thioglycoside 5 with enone 6 followed by enol etherification gave cyclization substrates 8. Compound 8a underwent silver(I) trifluoromethanesulfonate-mediated ring-closure to give a 1.7:1 mixture of 9 and 9β; isomer 8s gave an 8.5:1 ratio. Some derivatization reactions of the bicyclic products are described.     

Field evaluations of the VDmax approach for substantiation of a 25 kGy sterilization dose and its application to other preselected doses

The International and European standards for radiation sterilization require evidence of the effectiveness of a minimum sterilization dose of 25 kGy but do not provide detailed guidance on how this evidence can be generated. An approach, designated VD_max, has recently been described and computer evaluated to provide safe and unambiguous substantiation of a 25 kGy sterilization dose. The approach has been further developed into a practical method, which has been subjected to field evaluations at three manufacturing facilities which produce different types of medical devices. The three facilities each used a different overall evaluation strategy: Facility A used VD_max for quarterly dose audits; Facility B compared VD_max and Method 1 in side-by-side parallel experiments; and Facility C, a new facility at start-up, used VD_max for initial substantiation of 25 kGy and subsequent quarterly dose audits. A common element at all three facilities was the use of 10 product units for irradiation in the verification dose experiment.

The field evaluations of the VD_max method were successful at all three facilities; they included many different types of medical devices/product families with a wide range of average bioburden and sample item portion values used in the verification dose experiments. Overall, around 500 verification dose experiments were performed and no failures were observed. In the side-by-side parallel experiments, the outcomes of the VD_max experiments were consistent with the outcomes observed with Method 1.

The VD_max approach has been extended to sterilization doses >25 and <25 kGy; verification doses have been derived for sterilization doses of 15, 20, 30, and 35 kGy. Widespread application of the VD_max method for doses other than 25 kGy must await controlled field evaluations and the development of appropriate specifications/standards.     

Determination of bupivacaine and metabolites in rat urine using capillary electrophoresis with mass spectrometric detection

A method using capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (CE-MS) was developed for the structural elucidation of bupivacaine and metabolites in rat urine. Prior to CE-MS analysis, solid-phase extraction (SPE) was used for sample cleanup and preconcentration purposes. Exact mass and tandem mass spectrometric (MS/MS) experiments were performed to obtain structural information about the unknown metabolites. Two instruments with different mass analyzers were used for mass spectrometric detection. A quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) and a magnetic sector hybrid instrument were coupled to CE and used for the analysis of urine extracts. Hydroxybupivacaine as well as five other isomerically different metabolites were detected including methoxylated bupivacaine.     

The synthesis of 1-methyl-1-germaadamantane

The syntheses of 1-methyl-1-germaadamantane and 1-chloro-1-germaadamantane are described. Attempts to prepare the 1-methyl-1-stannaadamantane and the novel cage systems, 1-silatris-nor- and 1-silatris-homo-adamantanes are also described as well as the syntheses of a variety of Group IV 1,3,5-trisubstituted cyclohexanes.     

Evaluation of the swab test on premises for detection of antimicrobial residues in bovine and porcine kidneys

The effect of sample matrix on the sensitivity of the Swab Test On Premises (STOP) was evaluated for selected antimicrobials. Fluid was extracted from bovine and porcine kidneys, and fortified with known levels of drugs. Aqueous standards were also prepared at the same levels. An aliquot of the fortified fluid or water was pipeted onto a dry swab which was placed onto the surface of a STOP plate, and the plate was incubated as outlined in the test kit manual. Zones of bacterial growth inhibition were measured and recorded, and additional testing was performed with decreasing levels of drug until a minimum detectable level was determined. The effect of temperature on the sensitivity of the test was also evaluated by running samples in duplicate, one set at a nominal temperature of 28 degrees C, and the second set at a nominal temperature of 32 degrees C. Fortified bovine kidney fluid produced significantly larger zones than did porcine kidney fluid at both temperatures, but the mean zone sizes for fortified water were not significantly different from those of bovine or porcine kidney fluid at either temperature. For all 3 matrixes, zones of inhibition were significantly larger at 28 degrees than 32 degrees C.     

Experimental and theoretical study of the structure of N,N-dimethyl-4-nitroaniline derivatives as model compounds for non-linear optical organic materials

Molecular and crystal structure of a series of derivatives of N,N-dimethyl-4-nitroaniline has been studied by both X-ray diffraction method and high-level ab initio calculations. According to these data, the dimethylamino groups were found to have a trigonal-pyramidal configuration and are considerably turned with respect to the ring plane in all molecules having a substituent in the ortho-position; on the contrary, this group is planar in the meta-substituted molecules. Topological analysis of the electron density function for all molecules studied within the framework of Bader's ‘atoms in molecules’ (AIM) theory revealed that introduction of a substituent into the ortho- or meta-position of the ring results in increasing of the contribution of the resonance forms different from the quinoid one. Contribution of the latter form is predominant for the structure of N,N-dimethyl-4-nitroaniline (1). Topological analysis of the electron density distribution was used to explain a decreasing of the molecular hyperpolarisabilites of the ortho- and meta-substituted compounds as compared with those for 1.     

Reaction of carbonyl fluoride with fluorine in the presence of various fluorides as catalysts

The fluorides KF, RbF and CsF have been known to serve as catalysts for the reaction CF₂O + F₂→ CF₃OF. The list of catalysts for this process has now been enlarged to include NaF, MgF₂, CaF₂, SrF₂, BaF₂ and LaF₃. Lithium fluoride and thorium fluoride also give CF₃OF but are less active. Perhaps the substances CsF·HF, KAgF₄ and NiF₂ should be included in this list. Silver fluoride, usually as a mixture of AgF₂ with AgF, has been known to catalyze the reaction of CF₂O with F₂ to give both CF₃OF and CF₃OOCF₃. The proportion of the latter in the mixture of products increases with decreasing temperature. At 25°, the reaction is slow and the yield of CF₃OOCF₃ is very high. It has now been shown that TIF₃ behaves like silver fluoride. It has also been shown that many other fluorides of metals give higher yields of CF₃OOCF₃ than of CF₃OF but require higher temperatures than AgF₂ (100-ca. 150°) to be effective. Various possible mechanisms for these catalytic processes are discussed.     

The Development of Gas-flow Modulation for High-frequency MTDSC measurements

The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of modulating the temperature programme of a conventional DSC by use of an alternating gas-flow system. Modulated temperature differential scanning calorimetry (MTDSC) is an important thermal analysis technique but suffers from a limited applicable frequency range due to the mass of the sample and DSC cell leading to the impingement of thermal conductivity effects. We suggest that the frequency limit can be increased by replacing the cell as the source of temperature modulation with an external gaseous source, directed towards the sample and reference pans. In this evaluation, an alternating gas-flow was passed through a line to a forced gas-flow accessory (FGFA). The FGFA consisted of two matched cylinders containing chambers that allowed pre-temperature-equilibration of the stream of gas before it was passed over the sample and reference pans. The development of this device revealed the essential practical requirements of gas-flow modulation for high-frequency temperature modulation. These include the following: an appropriately sealed tunable gas supply to both sample and reference pans, an effective method for high-frequency cycling of the gas-flow rate, a small aperture to deliver the flowing gas directly over the pan and a temperature equilibration chamber. The results from samples of quenched PET and amorphous Saquinavir indicate that gas-flow modulation is indeed feasible, with the FGFA able to raise the attainable temperature modulation frequency by an order of magnitude compared to conventional MTDSC. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.