Bioanalysis of acetylcarnitine in cerebrospinal fluid by HILIC–mass spectrometry

Acetyl‐l ‐carnitine (ALCAR) is a potential biomarker for the modulation of brain neurotransmitter activity, but is also present in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Recent studies have utilized hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (HILIC‐MS/MS) based assays to detect and quantify ALCAR within biofluids such as urine, plasma and serum, using various sample pretreatment procedures. In order to address the need to quantify ALCAR in CSF on a high‐throughput scale, a new and simple HILIC‐MS/MS assay has been successfully developed and validated. For rapid analysis, CSF sample pretreatment was performed via ‘dilute and shoot’ directly onto an advanced HILIC column prior to MS/MS detection. This newly developed HILIC‐MS/MS assay shows good recoveries of ALCAR without the need for chemical derivatization and multistep sample extraction procedures. The employment of this assay is suitable for the high‐throughput bioanalysis and quantification of ALCAR within the CSF of various animal models and human clinical studies. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantitative Impact of a Cognitive Modeling Intelligent Tutoring System on Student Performance in Balancing Chemical Equations

The need for improved interactive tutoring capabilities in educational software for chemistry problem solving is an important one clearly articulated by teachers and students. To deliver the next generation of individualized interactive capabilities users demand, it is necessary to go beyond the conventional computer-assisted instruction methodology. The focus of this paper is the assessment with first-semester general chemistry students of a recently developed artificial intelligence (AI) tutor for balancing chemical equations. This is the first such assessment of an AI-based learning tool in chemistry. Students in CHEM 121 in the Fall 2001 semester at Duquesne University (N = 273) participated in the study. Students were divided into a test group that used the AI tutor as part of their study activities and a control group that did not use the tutor. It was found that the tutor improved the performance of the test group students to a statistically significant degree, helping the weakest students the most. This study establishes the feasibility of an AI-based approach to creating advanced new tutoring software for chemistry problem solving. Access to a Web-based demonstration of the equation-balancing tutor may be obtained by emailing the corresponding author.     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(methyl methacrylate)‐block‐poly(methylphenylsilane)‐ block‐poly(methyl methacrylate) by atom transfer radical polymerization

ABA block copolymers of methyl methacrylate and methylphenylsilane were synthesized with a methodology based on atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The reaction of samples of α,ω‐dihalopoly(methylphenylsilane) with 2‐hydroxyethyl‐2‐methyl‐2‐bromoproprionate gave suitable macroinitiators for the ATRP of methyl methacrylate. The latter procedure was carried out at 95 °C in a xylene solution with CuBr and 2,2‐bipyridine as the initiating system. The rate of the polymerization was first‐order with respect to monomer conversion. The block copolymers were characterized with ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and size exclusion chromatography, and differential scanning calorimetry was used to obtain preliminary evidence of phase separation in the copolymer products. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 30–40, 2003     

cis-Enhanced cyclopropanation catalysts: reaction chemistry of three isomers of Rh2[N(C6H5)COCH3]4

The catalytic activities of three structural isomers of Rh₂[N(C₆H₅)COCH₃]₄ in cyclopropanation reactions were surveyed. These studies showed cis cyclopropanation selectivity with bulky alkenes for 2,2-cis- and 2,2-trans-Rh₂[N(C₆H₅)COCH₃]₄.     

The Suzuki coupling of aryl chlorides in TBAB-water mixtures

Palladium acetate in a mixture of TBAB and water can be used as an effective catalyst for the Suzuki coupling of deactivated aryl chloride substrates.     

Mechanism of the oxidation of L-ascorbic acid by the bis(pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylate)cobaltate(III) ion in aqueous solution

A detailed investigation of the oxidation of L-ascorbic acid (H₂A) by the title complex has been carried out using conventional spectrophotometry at 510 nm, over the ranges: 0.010 [ascorbate] _T 0.045 mol dm^–3, 3.62 pH 5.34, and 12.0 30.0 °C, 0.50 I 1.00 mol dm^–3, and at ionic strength 0.60 mol dm^–3 (NaClO₄). The main reaction products are the bis(pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylate)cobaltate(II) ion and l-dehydroascorbic acid. The reaction rate is dependent on pH and the total ascorbate concentration in a complex manner, i.e., k _obs = (k ₁ K ₁)[ascorbate] _T /(K ₁ + [H⁺]). The second order rate constant, k ₁ [rate constant for the reaction of the cobalt(III) complex and HA^–] at 25.0 °C is 2.31 ± 0.13 mol^–1 dm³ s^–1. H = 30 ± 4 kJ mol^–1 and S = –138 ± 13 J mol^–1 K^–1. K ₁, the dissociation constant for H₂A, was determined as 1.58 × 10^–4 mol dm^–3 at an ionic strength of 0.60 mol dm^–3, while the self exchange rate constant, k ₁₁ for the title complex, was determined as 1.28 × 10^–5 dm³ mol^–1 s^–1. An outer-sphere electron transfer mechanism has been proposed.