Enhancement effect of iron addition for the decomposition of organic mercury as studied by continuous flow analysis with cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometric detection

Summary A continuous flow analysis is described for the determination of total mercury by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry. Organic mercury compounds such as methylmercury(II) chloride, ethylmercury(II) chloride and phenylmercury(II) chloride were decomposed by potassium peroxodisulphate with addition of ferric chloride as catalytic reagent. The reducing reagent used was tin(II) chloride in sodium hydroxide solution. With 1,000 mg Fe/l added in the decomposition process, we found that methylmercury(II) chloride and ethylmercury(II) chloride gave response signals similar to those of mercury(II) chloride. The proposed method was applied to the analysis of total mercury in waste water. Permanent address: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Andalas University, Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia     

HER-2/neu and topoisomerase IIalpha--simultaneous drug targets in cancer

In solid tumors the predominant genetic mechanism for oncogene activation is through amplification of genes. The HER-2 (also known as ErbB2/c-erbB2/HER-2/neu) oncogene is the most frequently amplified oncogene in breast cancer and is also commonly amplified in other forms of cancer. Alongside its important role in tumor induction, growth and progression, HER-2 is also a target for a new form of chemotherapy. Since 1998, breast cancer patients have been treated with considerable success with Herceptin (trastuzumab), a recombinant antibody designed to block signaling through the HER-2 receptor. In addition to Herceptin, a large number of various HER-2 directed immunological and genetic approaches, either targeting the HER-2 receptor, its signaling pathways or both HER-2 and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) together, have demonstrated promising pre-clinical potential towards HER-2 amplified carcinomas. Moreover, the HER-2 amplicon contains other genes with altered copy numbers that could be used as targets for chemotherapy. The topoisomerase IIalpha (topoIIalpha) gene (TOP2A) is located adjacent to the HER-2 oncogene at the chromosome location 17q12-q21 and is either amplified or deleted, with equal frequency, in almost 90% of HER-2 amplified primary breast tumors. Recent data suggest that amplification or deletion of TOP2A may account for both sensitivity or resistance to topoII-inhibitor-chemotherapy, depending on the specific genetic defect at the TOP2A locus. The understanding of HER-2 amplification and its role in the pathogenesis of cancer is expanding. The number of therapeutic strategies targeting HER-2 signaling pathways will most probably be introduced in the treatment of HER-2 amplified tumors within the next few years. Combining HER-2 targeting therapies with conventional forms of cytotoxic chemotherapy, where additional diagnostics tests such as those ascertaining topoIIalpha status, may be helpful for the ideal selection of patients for the combination therapy of a HER-2 targeting drug together with a cytotoxic drug. The clinical and therapeutic importance of the HER-2 and TOPO2A status of tumor cells in cancer management will only increase within the next few years.     

Gamma-ray and pair creation using ultra-intense lasers and astrophysical applications

Ultra-intense laser irradiating high-Z solid targets has become a new, powerful and efficient tool to create electron–positron pairs and intense gamma-ray beams. This paper reviews the recent developments in this field, both in theory and experiments. We will also discuss potential astrophysical applications of such laboratory experiments using ultra-intense lasers.     

2‐Ethylsulfanyl‐7‐(furan‐2‐yl)‐4‐(thiophen‐2‐yl)pyrazolo[1,5‐a][1,3,5]triazine: π‐stacked chains of hydrogen‐bonded R22(10) dimers

In the title compound, C₁₅H₁₂N₄OS₂, the bond distances in the fused heterocyclic system show evidence for aromatic‐type delocalization in the pyrazole ring with some bond fixation in the triazine ring. The thiophenyl substituent is slightly disordered over two sets of atomic sites having occupancies of 0.934 (4) and 0.066 (4). The non‐H atoms in the entire molecule are nearly coplanar, with the planes of the furanyl substituent and the major orientation of the thiophenyl substituent making dihedral angles of 5.72 (17) and 1.8 (3)°, respectively, with that of the fused ring system. Molecules are linked into centrosymmetric R₂²(10) dimers by C—H...O hydrogen bonds and these dimers are further linked into chains by a single π–π stacking interaction. Comparisons are made with some related 4,7‐diaryl‐2‐(ethylsulfanyl)pyrazolo[1,5‐a][1,3,5]triazines which contain variously substituted aryl groups in place of the furanyl and thiophenyl substituents in the title compound.     

Enhanced ethanol sensing properties of WO3 modified TiO2 nanorods

Pristine and WO₃ decorated TiO₂ nanorods (NRs) were synthesised to investigate n-n-type heterojunction gas sensing properties. TiO₂ NRs were fabricated via hydrothermal method on fluorine-doped tin oxide coated glass (FTO) substrates. Then, tungsten was sputtered on the TiO₂ NRs and thermally oxidised to obtain WO₃ nanoparticles. The heterostructure was characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. Fabricated sensor devices were exposed to VOCs such as toluene, xylene, acetone and ethanol, and humidity at different operation temperatures. Experimental results demonstrated that the heterostructure has better sensor response toward ethanol at 200 °C. Enhanced sensing properties are attributed to the heterojunction formation by decorating TiO₂ NRs with WO₃.     

Surface swabbing technique for the rapid screening for pesticides using ambient pressure desorption ionization with high-resolution mass spectrometry

A rapid screening method for pesticides has been developed to promote more efficient processing of produce entering the United States. Foam swabs were used to recover a multiclass mixture of 132 pesticides from the surfaces of grapes, apples, and oranges. The swabs were analyzed using direct analysis in real time (DART) ionization coupled with a high‐resolution Exactive Orbitrap? mass spectrometer. By using a DART helium temperature gradient from 100–350°C over 3 min, a minimal separation of analytes based on volatility differences was achieved. This, combined with the Exactive's mass resolution of 100 000, allowed the chromatographic step, along with the typical compositing and extraction steps associated with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) or liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) approaches, to be eliminated. Detection of 86% of the analytes present was consistently achieved at levels of 2 ng/g (per each apple or orange) and 10 ng/g (per grape). A resolution study was conducted with four pairs of isobaric compounds analyzed at a mass resolution of 100 000. Baseline separation was achieved with analyte ions differing in mass by 25 ppm and analyte ions with a mass difference of 10 ppm were partially resolved. In addition, field samples that had undergone traditional sample preparation using QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, rugged, and safe) were analyzed using both LC/MS and DART‐MS and the results from the two techniques were found to be comparable in terms of identification of the pesticides present. The use of swabs greatly increased sample throughput by reducing sample preparation and analysis time. Published in 2010 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Structural and spectroscopic characterization of copper(II) complexes of a new bisamide functionalized imidazole tripod and evidence for the formation of a mononuclear end-on Cu-OOH species

A new polyimidazole tripod N,N-bis((1-methyl-4-pivalamidoimidazol-2-yl)methyl)-N'-((1-methylimidazol-2-yl)methyl)amine (L2) has been synthesized and shown to form intramolecular hydrogen bonds with different axial ligands bonded to Cu(II) in the solid state. The same hydrogen-bonding property of L2 appears responsible for the stabilization of a Cu(II)-OOH species in solution. The crystal structures of L2 and three of its Cu(II) complexes are reported. The [Cu(L2)X]ClO4 complexes, 4-6 (X- = Cl-, OH-, or N3-) have distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometries in the solid state and have been characterized further by UV-vis absorption, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. The reaction of [Cu(L2)OH](ClO4) (5) with H2O2 and tert-butyl hydroperoxide in methanol generates [Cu(L2)OOH](ClO4) (7) and [Cu(L2)OO(t)Bu](ClO4) (8) which have been characterized by different spectroscopic methods. The compound [Cu(L2)OO(t)Bu]+ displays a band at 395 nm (epsilon = 950 M(-1) cm(-1)) assigned to an alkylperoxo pi*(sigma) --> Cu ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) transition, while [Cu(L2)OOH]+ displays a peroxo pi*(sigma) --> Cu charge-transfer transition at 365 nm with epsilon = 1300 M(-1) cm(-1), a mass ion at m/z 593.4, and nu(O-O) stretch (resonance Raman) at 854 cm(-1) that shifts to lower energy by 46 cm(-1) upon 18O substitution.     

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of 7,8,9,10-Tetrahydro-2-bromo-cyclohepta[<Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis>]indol-6(5<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>)-one

The title compound, C₁₃H₁₂BrNO, was synthesized and characterised by IR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The proposed structure was confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The single crystal data revealed that the compound crystallizes in the triclinic system, sp. gr. P1, with Z = 2. The sevenmembered ring exhibits a slightly distorted envelope conformation. N–H···O hydrogen bonds form a centrosymmetric dimer, these interactions create a stair-like chain of molecules that interacts only loosely with neighbouring chains via van der Waals interactions, and C–H···π contacts are found in the crystal structure.     

Phenolic compounds,essential oil composition,and antioxidant activity of Angelica purpurascens (Avé-Lall.) Gill

In this study, methanol extracts (MEs) and essential oil (EO) of Angelica purpurascens (Avé-Lall.) Gill obtained from different parts (root, stem, leaf, and seed) were evaluated in terms of antioxidant activity, total phenolics, compositions of phenolic compound, and essential oil with the methods of 2,2-azino-bis(3ethylbenzo-thiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS•⁺), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazil (DPPH•) radical scavenging activities, and ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP), the Folin–Ciocalteu, liquid chromatography−tandem mass spectrometry (LC−MS/MS), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC−MS), respectively. The root extract of A. purpurascens exhibited the highest ABTS•⁺, DPPH•, and FRAP activities (IC₅₀: 0.05 ± 0.0001 mg/mL, IC₅₀: 0.06 ± 0.002 mg/mL, 821.04 ± 15.96 µM TEAC (Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity), respectively). Moreover, EO of A. purpurascens root displayed DPPH• scavenging activity (IC₅₀: 2.95 ± 0.084 mg/mL). The root extract had the highest total phenolic content (438.75 ± 16.39 GAE (gallic acid equivalent), µg/mL)). Twenty compounds were identified by LC−MS/MS. The most abundant phenolics were ferulic acid (244.39 ± 15.64 μg/g extract), benzoic acid (138.18 ± 8.84 μg/g extract), oleuropein (78.04 ± 4.99 μg/g extract), and rutin (31.21 ± 2.00 μg/g extract) in seed, stem, root, and leaf extracts, respectively. According to the GC−MS analysis, the major components were determined as α-bisabolol (22.93%), cubebol (14.39%), α-pinene (11.63%), and α-limonene (9.41%) among 29 compounds. Consequently, the MEs and EO of A. purpurascens can be used as a natural antioxidant source.