Direct determination of brucine by square wave voltammetry on 4-amino-2-mercaptopyrimidine self-assembled monolayer gold electrode

4-Amino-2-mercaptopyrimidine self-assembled monolayer (AMP SAMs/Au) was prepared on a gold electrode. The AMP SAMs/Au was characterized by using attenuated total reflection-fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) and A.C. Impedance. The electrochemical behavior of brucine on AMP SAMs/Au was studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square wave adsorptive stripping voltammetry (SWASV). The modified electrode showed an excellent electrocatalytic activity for the redox of brucine. The catalytic current increased linearly with the concentration of brucine in the range of 4.0 x 10(-7) to 2.0 x 10(-4) mol l(-1) by square wave voltammetry response. The detection limit was 6.0 x 10(-8) mol l(-1).     

Theoretical and experimental studies of the electrochemistry of <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-aminophenol on a golden electrode

The geometric parameters, vibrational frequencies, and thermochemical values of p-quinonimine (p-AQ) and p-aminophenol (p-AP) were computed ab initio (IIF) and by the density functional theory (DFT) method with the 6-31G(d, p) basis set. Cyclic voltammetry with a golden electrode of p-AP solutions in phosphate buffers at pH 7.30 showed that the standard electrode potential of half reaction for p-QI and p-AP was 0.728 V. The standard electrode potentials of half reactions for p-QI and p-AP were calculated using the free energies and solvation energies of p-QI, p-AP, p-benzoquinone (p-BQ), and hydroquinone (p-HQ). The results showed that the standard electrode potential of half reaction for p-QI and p-AP was 0.743 V at the B3LYP/6-31G(d, p) level and 0.755 V at the HF/6-31G(d, p) level. The standard electrode potentials computed at the B3LYP/6-31G(d, p) and HF/6-31G(d, p) levels were close to their experimental values. The article is published in the original.     

Universal reduced potential function for diatomic systems

The potential energy functions of 200 diatomic systems, with dissociation energies De ranging from few eV to hundreds of mueV, are well described by a new three-parameter potential energy function. Identification of the evaluated values of a dimensionless quantity, xin=L2/Ln [Ln=(n!De/fn)1/n, a scaled length parameter, and fn, the nth force constant evaluated at the equilibrium internuclear distance Re], is proposed as a reliable criterion to search for the universal scaling features of potentials and spectroscopic constants for bound diatomic systems. Our study suggests a useful approach to predicting future molecular spectroscopic constants.     

Stereoselective synthesis of (R)-10-methyltridecan-2-one,the sex pheromone of the southern corn rootworm,using (4S)-benzylthiazolidinethione as a chiral auxiliary

The stereoselective synthesis of (R)-10-methyltridecan-2-one, the sex pheromone of the southern corn rootworm, was carried out in 20.7% overall yield based on (4S)-benzylthiazolidinethione (five steps). In the crucial step, the stereogenic center was generated by an asymmetric Michael addition using enantiomerically pure (4S)-benzylthiazolidinethione as a chiral auxiliary.     

Study on the Langmuir aggregation of fluorinated surfactants on protein

The microphase adsorption-spectral correction (MPASC) technique was described and applied to the study of the interactions of fluorinated surfactants such as potassium perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and potassium perfluorobutanesulfonate (PFBS) with human serum albumin (HSA). Sodium octanesulfonate (SOS) was also studied as non-fluorinated surfactant. The aggregation of PFOS, PFBS and SOS obeys the Langmuir monolayer adsorption. The results show that the adsorption ratios of surfactants to HSA are PFOS:HSA = 120:1, PFBS:HSA = 205:1 and SOS:HSA = 18:1. The adsorption constants are K_PFOS-HSA = 5.01 × 10³, K_PFBS-HSA = 9.79 × 10² and K_SOS-HSA = 4.03 × 10³. The detection limits are 2.7 mg/L for BSA using PFOS, 3.1 mg/L using PFBS and 3.1 mg/L using SOS. It was found that fluorinated surfactant exhibited stronger interaction with protein than hydrogenated one, and fluorinated surfactant with long hydrophobic chain exhibited stronger interaction with protein than that with short hydrophobic chain.     

Synthesis and photochromic properties of WO_3 powder induced by oxalic acid

Tungsten trioxide powder with the novel morphology was prepared via the hydrothermal method with oxalic acid as the organic inducer, the structure and shape of which were detected by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and BET. Furthermore, photochromic properties of the as-prepared powder samples were tested by an ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer combined with a color difference meter. The corresponding results indicated that the induced product was still hexagonal WO3, made up...     

Durability investigation of graphene-supported Pt nanocatalysts for PEM fuel cells

We report graphene nanosheets as a durable alternative support material for Pt nanoparticle catalysts for oxygen reduction in proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells and compared them to XC-72. The materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Electrochemical surface oxidation of XC-72 and graphene, and of Pt/XC-72 and Pt/graphene has been compared following treatments for up to 120 h. The electrochemical performance of the specimens was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry and linear sweep voltammetry at different surface oxidation time intervals. Electrochemical measurements indicate that the graphene exihibits greatly enhanced electrochemical durability. It is suggested that graphene nanosheet is a promising, low-cost, and durable electrocatalyst support for oxygen reduction in the PEM fuel cell.