Pyridazine derivatives. Part 40: Reactivity of 5-alkynylpyridazin-3(2H)-ones toward hydrochloric acid

5-Alkynylpyridazin-3(2H)-ones or 5-(2-chloroalkenyl)pyridazin-3(2H)-ones were isolated during the cleavage of the methoxymethyl group in a series of 5-alkynyl-2-methoxymethylpyridazin-3(2H)-ones by treatment with hydrochloric acid. The efficient and selective cleavage of the methoxymethyl group in these compounds can be performed under mild conditions by employing aluminium chloride.     

Hydrogen peroxide in basic media for whole blood sample dissolution for determination of its lead content by electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry

Hydrogen peroxide in basic media is proposed as a means for dissolving whole blood samples to be analyzed by electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry, ET AAS. Approximately 2 g of the whole blood sample were directly weighed in a 150 mL volumetric flask; 3 mL of a NaOH 0.2 mol L⁻¹ solution, two drops of 1-octanol, as an antifoaming agent, and 1 mL of 30% volume hydrogen peroxide were added to the flask to promote oxidation. The solution was then manually shaken and after approximately three minutes of shaking, a clear solution, with no apparent suspended solids or greasy layers, was obtained. Distilled-deionized water was used to complete the volume. Ten μL of the resulting solution along with 10 μL of a solution containing 5000 mg L⁻¹ of NH₄H₂PO₄ and 300 mg L⁻¹ of Mg(NO₃)₂ as a modifier, were injected into transversely heated graphite tubes for lead determination. Both aqueous standards and standard addition calibration curves produced results not significantly different at a 95% confidence limit level. Accuracy of the measurements was assessed by analysis of the IAEA A-13 (concentration of trace and minor elements in freeze dried animal blood) standard reference material containing 0.18 mg L⁻¹ lead on a dry basis and by means of recovery tests. Analysis of the IAEA A-13 standard produced 0.17 ± 0.02 mg L⁻¹ lead on a dry basis; recovery tests afforded values from 95 to 105%. Ten consecutive measurements of a 5 ppb lead solution gave a characteristic mass of 47.2 pg and a (3S) detection limit of 1.77 μg L⁻¹ Pb. Results obtained from analysis of whole blood samples of volunteer donors covered a lead concentration range between 8 and 21 μg L⁻¹ with a mean value of 11.9 ± 4.7 μg L⁻¹.     

Determination of manganese in brain samples by slurry sampling graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

A simple procedure for the determination of manganese in different sections of human brain samples by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry has been developed. Brain sections included cerebellum, hypothalamus, frontal cortex, vermix and encephalic trunk. Two sample preparation procedures were evaluated, namely, slurry sampling and microwave-assisted acid digestion. Brain slurries (2% w/v) could be prepared in distilled, de-ionized water, with good stability for up to 30 min. Brain samples were also digested in a domestic microwave oven using 5 ml of concentrated HNO₃. A mixed palladium+magnesium nitrate chemical modifier was used for thermal stabilization of the analyte in the electrothermal atomizer up to pyrolysis temperatures of 1300 °C, irrespective of the matrix. Quantitation of manganese was conducted in both cases by means of aqueous standards calibration. The detection limits were 0.3 and 0.4 ng ml⁻¹ for the slurry and the digested samples, respectively. The accuracy of the procedure was checked by comparing the results obtained in the analysis of slurries and digested brain samples, and by analysis of the NIST Bovine Liver standard reference material (SRM 1577a). The ease of slurry preparation, together with the conventional set of analytical and instrumental conditions selected for the determination of manganese make such methodology suitable for routine clinical applications.     

Determination of trace levels of calcium in steels by carbon-furnace atomic-absorption and atomic-emission spectrometry

Methods are described for the determination of trace levels of calcium in steels by atomic-absorption and atomic-emission spectrometry with a carbon furnace for atomization and excitation. In both cases, a commercial electrothermal atomic-absorption instrument was used. Samples were analysed after dissolution in a mixture of nitric, hydrochloric, and hydrofluoric acids.     

Regioselective homogeneous hydrogenation of heteroaromatic nitrogen compounds by use of [RuH(CO)(NCMe)2(PPh3)2]BF4 as the precatalyst

Summary The complex [RuH(CO)(NCMe)₂(PPh₃)₂]BF₄ (1) is an efficient and regioselective catalyst precursor for the hydrogenation of polyaromatic nitrogen compounds such as quinoline (Q), isoquinoline (iQ), indole (ln), 5,6- and 7,8-benzoquinoline (BQ) and acridine (A) under relatively mild reaction conditions (125 °C, 4 atm H₂). The order of individual initial rates was: A > Q > 5,6-BQ > 7,8-BQ > ln > iQ, reflecting both steric and electronic effects. For the regioselective homogeneous hydrogenation of A to 9,10-dihydroacridine (DHA) catalysed by complex (1), a kinetic study was carried out; the experimentally determined rate law was r = k ₁ [Ru] [H₂]. These findings are consistent with a mechanism involving the hydrogenation of [RuH(CO)(A)(NCMe)(PPh₃)₂]BF₄ to yield DHA and the unsaturated species [RuH(CO)(NCMe)(PPh₃)₂]BF₄ in the rate-determining step.     

Rare earth metal complexes with 1,3-bis-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-1,3-propanedione. An example of anhydrous rare earth β-diketonates

Summary The interaction of non-anhydrous solutions of the ligand 1,3-bis-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-1,3-propanedione (bhppH₃) with hydrated rare earth chlorides resulted in the formation of anhydrous, non-solvated, complexes M(bhppH₂)₃ (M=Y, La, Nd, Pr, Sm or Yb). The complexes have been characterized by elemental analysis, t.g., i.r. and¹H n.m.r. spectroscopy. The evidence suggests that the coordination is through the -diketone site.     

Static headspace analysis of volatile organic compounds in soil and vegetation samples for site characterization

Traditional methodologies for the characterization of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in subsurface soil are expensive, time-consuming processes that are often conducted on samples collected at random. The determination of VOCs in near-surface soils and vegetation is the foundation for a more efficient sampling strategy to characterize subsurface soil and improve understanding of environmental problems.In the absence of a standard methodology for the determination of VOCs in vegetation and in view of the high detection limits of the method for soils, we developed a methodology using headspace gas chromatography with an electron capture detector for the determination of low levels (parts-per-billion to parts-per-trillion) of VOCs in soils and vegetation. The technique demonstrates good sensitivity, good recoveries of internal standards and surrogate compounds, good performance, and minimal waste. A case study involving application of this technique as a first-step vadose-zone characterization methodology is presented.     

Rapid determination of radium isotopes by alpha spectrometry

An efficient analytical method for the determination of low-levels of²²⁶Ra and²²⁴Ra by alpha spectrometry is described. A cation exchange column was used to separate the analyte from other constituents in the sample (1–50 mL). After preconcentration and separation, the radium was electrodeposited onto a stainless steel disc from a solution of ammonium oxalate and hydrochloric acid. The electrodeposition was accomplished by the addition of platinum in microgram amounts. Linear responses were greater than two orders of magnitude. Detection limits of the procedure, taken as three times the standard deviation of several reagent blank analyses, were (1.8±0.3)×10^–4 Bq and (2.9±0.3)×10^–4 Bq for²²⁶Ra and²²⁴Ra, respectively. Recoveries of²²⁶Ra and²²⁴Ra ranged from 90% to 100% when samples of drinking water, well water, and dissolved bones were analyzed. Precision was calculated to be less than 5% for the determination of²²⁶Ra. Matrix effects were studied for salts of barium, magnesium, iron, and calcium.