The aqueous cationic system sodium undecenoate-dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide at low concentration

The aqueous sodium undecenoate (SUD) –dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) catanionic system was studied at low concentration. The system did not precipitate, even at a 1:1 SUD:DTAB proportion, but showed the formation of a coacervate in a range of surfactant mixture compositions. Micelles have a preferential composition of 0.37 mole fraction of SUD. This behavior is attributed to the presence of the double bond at the distal extreme of the SUD molecule, which can form hydrogen bonds with water. Consequently, the –CH=CH₂ group is situated at the interface between the hydrocarbon micelle core and water, reducing the interfacial free energy. Structural computations demonstrate that the mentioned SUD proportion produces complete coverage of the micelle surface by the double bonds.     

Hydrogels in aqueous phases of polyvinylalcohol (PVA), surfactants and clay minerals

Aqueous solutions of synthetic clay minerals have been studied in the presence of surfactants and water-soluble polyvinylalcohol (PVA). The PVAs (PVA 1, PVA 2) had a molecular weight of about 10⁵ Dalton and a degree of hydrolysis of 82%. The PVA-samples were surface active and lowered the surface tension to 43 mN/m. As a consequence of their amphiphilic nature the PVA molecules bind strongly to clay mineral particles. On saturation the clay mineral particles adsorb the fivefold weight of PVA of their own weight. It is concluded that the thickness of the adsorbed layers on both sides of the clay mineral is in the range of the hydrodynamic diameter of the PVA-coils in the bulk phase.When the clay mineral particles are not saturated with PVA, they act as cross-linking agents for the PVA. The whole systems are physically cross-linked and assume gel-like properties. Rheological measurements show that samples behave like soft matter with a yield stress value. All of them have a frequency independent storage modulus which is an order of magnitude larger than the loss modulus. The hydrogels become stronger as PVA concentration increases.Small amounts of cationic surfactants bind on the clay mineral. The interface of the clay mineral becomes more hydrophobic and the binding of the PVA on the clay mineral is strengthened. With rising concentration of the surfactant the surfactant molecules bind on PVA and the PVA becomes hydrophilic. As a consequence the PVA can no longer bind on the clay mineral and the gels transform to viscous and turbid solutions. Small amounts of cationic surfactants therefore stiffen the hydrogels while larger amounts cause phase separation and a solution with low viscosity. Anionic surfactants like SDS do not bind on the clay mineral, but strongly on the PVA. With increasing SDS concentration, the hydrogels become stiffer at first but thereafter they break and transform to viscous fluids.In PVA-solutions without the clay minerals both cationic and anionic surfactants bind to the PVAs in the aqueous solution. With increasing concentration of surfactant, the viscosities of the solutions pass over a maximum. In this respect the PVAs behave like hydrophobically modified water soluble polymers. The surfactants bind to the hydrophobic microdomain and thereby crosslink the polymer molecules. On saturation the polyvinyl alcohol with anionic surfactant become hydrophilic and the network character disappears to a certain extent.     

Electrochemical dissolution of magnetite in acid solutions

The present paper deals with the electrochemical behavior of magnetite microcrystals in an acid medium. A voltammetric method employing a carbon-paste electroactive electrode (CPEE) with an organic binder was used. It was found that the cathodic voltammograms, which were recorded at different scan rates, formed a set bounded in the space of i–E parameters by a generalizing voltammetric curve corresponding to the effective potential scan rate _eff. In other words, all curves are situated under one enveloping curve, just as the smaller dolls sit in the largest doll of a Russian doll. Reverse currents (a cathodic current in the anodic direction of the potential scan) were observed on the cyclic voltammogram. Forward and reverse currents obey the same laws and have one and the same generalizing curve, which could be taken as the magnetite characteristic.     

Methodological modifications on quantification of phosphatidylethanol in blood from humans abusing alcohol,using high-performance liquid chromatography and evaporative light scattering detection

Background  

Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) is an abnormal phospholipid formed slowly in cell membranes by a transphosphatidylation reaction from phosphatidylcholine in the presence of ethanol and catalyzed by the enzyme phospholipase D. PEth in blood is a promising new marker of ethanol abuse depending on the high specificity and sensitivity of this marker. None of the biological markers used in clinical routine at the present time are sensitive and specific enough for the diagnosis of alcohol abuse.     

Electrochemical characteristics of a platinum electrode modified with a matrix of polyvinyl butyral and colloidal Ag containing immobilized horseradish peroxidase

A new hydrogen peroxide biosensor was constructed, which consisted of a platinum electrode modified by a matrix of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) and nanometer-sized Ag colloid containing immobilized horseradish peroxidase (HRP), and using Co(bpy)₃³⁺ as mediator in the hydrogen peroxide solution. The electrochemical characteristics of the biosensor were studied by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The modified process was characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. The HRP immobilized on colloidal Ag was stable and retained its biological activity. The sensor displays excellent electrocatalytic response to the reduction of H₂O₂. Analytical parameters such as pH and temperature were also studied. Linear calibration for H₂O₂ was obtained in the range of 1×10^–5 to 1×10^–2 M under optimized conditions. The sensor was highly sensitive to H₂O₂, with a detection limit of 2×10^–6 M, and the sensor achieved 95% of steady-state current within 10 s. The sensor exhibited high sensitivity, selectivity and stability.     

Development and characterisation of a new interface for coupling capillary LC with collision-cell ICP–MS and its application for phosphorylation profiling of tryptic protein digests

A comparison of different nebulisers for direct hyphenation of capillary and nano liquid chromatography (Cap-LC, Nano-LC) and quadrupole-based collision cell inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (CC-ICP–MS) for phosphorylation profiling of tryptic protein digests is described. Helium was used as cell gas and specially tuned instrumental conditions were used to achieve background minimisation at the mass of phosphorus, because of kinetic energy discrimination of the interfering polyatomic ions. The proposed set-up is based on a modified capillary electrophoresis interface and a home-made 4 mL spray chamber. It enables the use of gradient conditions with a highly concentrated organic mobile phase as often used in protein phosphorylation analysis, without the need to apply membrane desolvation for removal of the organic phase or further background minimisation. No significant signal suppression or other negative effects caused by the organic mobile phase occur, because of the low flow rates used in Cap-LC and the robust plasma conditions of the CC-ICP–MS instrument. A tryptic digest of beta-casein was investigated as model compound to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed set-up for phosphorylation profiling in protein analysis using quadrupole based collision-cell ICP–MS as phosphorus-specific detector. Detection limits for phosphorylated peptides down to the sub picomole level were obtained. As a complementary technique, electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry (ESI–MS–MS) with data base searching was used for further characterisation of the phosphorylated peptides detected.     

The instrumental determination of cadmium in biological samples at nanogram levels with the aid of a Compton suppression system and epithermal neutron activation analysis

Instrumental epithermal neutron activation analysis in conjunction with Compton suppression methods has been used to determine cadmium concentrations in seven biological reference materials. The¹¹⁴Cd(n, )¹¹⁵CD(t_1/2=53.3h^115mIn(t_1/2=4.5h) reaction using the 336.3 keV photopeak was successfully employed to achieve an overall precision between 4%–15% and detection limits between 10–20 ng/g. The accuracy of the results as compared to the certified or compilation values was in excellent agreement.     

Dynamics studies on thermoresponsive poly(<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogel in tetrahydrofuran/water mixtures

The properties of thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) hydrogel in tetrahydrofuran/H₂O mixtures were studied. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images demonstrate that the hydrogel changes from homogeneous to heterogeneous microstructure upon the addition of tetrahydrofuran to water. This heterogeneous PNIPAAm hydrogel in the mixture solvent exhibits a very slow response rate at temperatures above its lower critical solution temperature. The decreased response rate is attributed to the formation of special ternary complexes including the polymer and the two solvents in the tetrahydrofuran/H₂O mixture. Factors controlling the thermoresponse rate are discussed further and several suggestions are provided for designing and developing fast-response PNIPAAm hydrogels in the future.     

Stereoselectivity in the collision-activated reactions of gas phase salt complexes

The collision-activated dissociations (CAD) of gas phase salt complexes composed of chiral ions were studied in a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer. Because both partners in the salt are chiral, diastereomeric complexes can be formed (e.g., RR, RS). Two general types of complexes were investigated. In the first, the complex was composed of deprotonated binaphthol and a chiral bis-tetraalkylammonium dication. CAD of these complexes leads to the transfer of a proton or an alkyl cation to the binaphtholate leading to a singly-charged tetraalkylammonium cation. During CAD, diastereomeric complexes give significantly different product distributions indicating reasonable stereoselectivity in the process. In the second system, the complexes involved a peptide dianion and a chiral tetraalkylammonium cation. These systems may be viewed as very simple models for the interactions of peptides/proteins with small chiral molecules. Again, stereoselectivity was evident during CAD, but the extent was dependent on the nature of the peptide and not observable in some cases. To better understand the structural features needed to achieve stereoselectivity in gas phase salt complexes, representative transition states were modeled computationally. The results suggest that it is critical for the asymmetry of the nucleophile (i.e., anion) to be well represented in the vicinity of its reactive center.     

Chemical composition of “AKD vapour” and its implication to AKD vapour sizing

Alkyl ketene dimer (AKD) sizing of paper involves the redistribution of the wax over the fibre surface upon heating. The two major mechanisms widely studied so far are the spreading of an autophobic precursor of molten AKD and AKD vapour transport and re-deposition on the fibre surface. All previous work assumed that the transport of AKD vapour could be expressed by the change of water contact angle with substrates that were exposed to the vapour. Information regarding the chemical composition of the vapour phase above the AKD wax has not been found in the literature. In this work, a simple method for analysing the chemical composition of the vapour is established. Our preliminary results indicated that the chemical composition of AKD vapour in the temperature range of 75–80 °C is dominantly fatty acids. This suggests that the sizing effect by actual AKD molecules via the vapour deposition mechanism is likely to be insignificant in this temperature range. This also implies that fatty acids play a positive role in AKD sizing. The chemical stability of AKD in this temperature range is also studied.