Silica-Based Phenyl and Octyl Bifunctional Imidazolium as a New Mixed-Mode Stationary Phase for Reversed-Phase and Anion-Exchange Chromatography

In this study, octylbenzimidazolium-modified silica (BeImC8-Sil) was prepared by covalent attachment of 1-octylbenzimidazole to γ-chloropropyl silica. The synthesized materials were characterized by the elemental analysis, IR spectrum, and thermogravimetric analysis. Due to the introduction of phenyl and octyl groups on the quaternary imidazolium, the developed BeImC8-Sil column can function via both reversed-phase and anion-exchange retention mechanisms. The chromatographic properties of the synthesized material were investigated by the separations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, mono-substituted derivatives of benzene, anilines, and phenols, revealing the existence of multiple interactions, including hydrogen bonding, π–π stacking, electrostatic forces, and hydrophobic interactions in reversed-phase mode; inorganic and organic anions were also separated mainly through anion-exchange interaction. The proposed BeImC8-Sil is a promising mixed-mode stationary phase for the separation of complex samples in high-performance liquid chromatography.

     

An LC‐MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of cefprozil diastereomers in human plasma and its application for the bioequivalence study of two cefprozil tablets in healthy Chinese volunteers

A rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometric method was developed for the first time and validated for the determination of cefprozil diastereomers in human plasma. The plasma samples were prepared by protein precipitation using acetonitrile. Detection was performed using an electronic spray ion source in the negative ion mode, operating in the multiple reaction monitoring of the transitions m/z 388.0 to m/z 205.0 for cefprozil diastereomers and m/z 346.1 to m/z 268.1 for cephalexin (the internal standard). The calibration curves of cis‐cefprozil and trans‐cefprozil were linear in the ranges 0.125–16.0 µg/mL and 0.0403–1.72 µg/mL, respectively. The lower limits of quantification of cis‐ and trans‐cefprozil were 0.125 and 0.0403 µg/mL in human plasma, respectively. The intra‐ and inter‐day precisions of cis‐ and trans‐cefprozil were all <9.7%, and the accuracy ranged from 99.2 to 104.7% and from 100.6 to 102.2%, respectively. The validated method was successfully applied to a bioequivalence study of two cefprozil formulations in 24 healthy Chinese volunteers. The two cefprozil tablets were bioequivalent by measurement of cis‐, trans‐ and total cefprozil. We suggest that the bioequivalence of cefprozil formulations can be evaluated only using cis‐cefprozil as the analyte in future studies. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preparation and performance of sulfur–carbon composite based on hollow carbon nanofiber for lithium-sulfur batteries

A unique structured hollow carbon nanofiber–sulfur composite material (HCF–S) was fabricated and characterized in lithium-sulfur batteries. It is found that a part of spherical sulfur particles are located in the voids formed by the intertwined fibers and the others are confined in hollow channel of the HCF. The high conductive and porous HCF favors the construction of stable three-dimensional conducting network and convenient infiltration of the electrolytes into the cathode. The HCF–S cathode exhibits excellent electrochemical performance in the electrolyte with LiNO₃. By contrast, the ionic liquid electrolyte provides insufficient shuttle suppression and weakens ion transport, which leads to poor cycle and rate capability.     

Conductivity as a Sensor for Monitoring Relative Magnesium Corrosion Rates in Real‐time,in Serum‐containing Media under Cell Culture Conditions

Because controlling the corrosion rate of magnesium metal will be crucial to the success of biomedical implants containing pure magnesium or magnesium alloys, many ways have been sought to improve in vitro tests to analyze corrosion rates, and also to identify new methods of preparing or post‐processing magnesium. In this work, for an in vitro assay, we explored the use of a commercially available conductivity sensor to study magnesium corrosion under cell culture conditions that duplicate many physiologically appropriate parameters. With this sensor, we studied the corrosion of two previously untested magnesium single crystal samples that differed in surface treatments that could alter corrosion rates. The results show that the relative conductivity changes in (mS/cm) over the total time of immersion were proportional to the corrosion rates in (mm/y) and also to the total magnesium released, as detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS).     

Viscosity Approximation Methods for Multivalued Nonexpansive Mappings

Based on some iteration schemes, we study the viscosity approximation results for multivalued nonexpansive mappings in Hilbert space and Banach space. For that mapping, we obtain a fixed point to solve its related variational inequality.