Far-infrared signature of animal tissues characterized by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy

We present terahertz time-domain spectroscopy characterization of various animal tissues obtained from pork and rats. As the sensitivity of terahertz radiation to polar molecules of water is very high, biological tissues with high level of hydration show strong absorption at terahertz frequencies. The experimental data indicate that skin, fat and lean pork tissues have different frequency-dependent response to terahertz radiation due to the variation in water content. The same type tissue from different animals, however, is observed to show very similar water absorption.     

XY-ZH compounds as potential 1,3-dipoles. Part 63: Silver catalysed azomethine ylide cycloaddition—the synthesis of spiro homoserine lactone analogues

A range of room temperature 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of imines of 2-amino-γ-lactone and thiolactone, catalysed by a combination of AgOAc or Ag₂O with NEt₃ or DBU, are described. The spiro lactones/thiolactones are formed regio- and stereoselectively as single cycloadducts in good yield via the syn dipoles and an endo-transition states.     

Synthèse du mèthyl-1 diformyl-2,3 pyrrole,de la méthyl-1 pyrrolo[2,3-d] pyridazine et de la méthyl-1 oxo-6 (6h)cycloheptatrieno[b] pyrrole

This communication describes the synthesis of l-methyl-2,3-diformylpyrrole. This new compound is used to prepare a new heterocycle, l-methylcyclohepta[b]pyrrol-6-one and thus allows a new synthesis of l-methylpyrrolo[2,3-d]pyridazine.     

Stability studies of transition-metal linkage isomers using quantum mechanical methods. Groups 11 and 12 transition metals

Several hypotheses to elucidate the linkage isomer preference of the thiocyanate (SCN(-)) ion have been offered. For complexes with small coordination numbers (i.e., 1 and 2) and groups 11 (Cu-triad) and 12 (Zn-triad) metals, different levels of theory and a variety of basis sets have been employed to study linkage isomerism. Similar results are obtained for all density functionals tested, pure and hybrid. Overall, good agreement, vis-à-vis experimentally identified linkage isomers, is achieved for ab initio techniques, whereas semiempirical quantum mechanical methods show a bias toward S-ligated isomers. Despite the seeming ease for the a priori prediction of the most stable thiocyanate isomers using acid/base principles, this research highlights the sensitivity of quantitative calculations of transition-metal linkage isomerism to the choice of basis set and electron correlation, particularly with post-Hartree-Fock treatments.     

CSE-MECC two-dimensional capillary electrophoresis analysis of proteins in the mouse tumor cell (AtT-20) homogenate

Two-dimensional capillary electrophoresis was used for the separation of proteins and biogenic amines from the mouse AtT-20 cell line. The first-dimension capillary contained a TRIS–CHES–SDS–dextran buffer to perform capillary sieving electrophoresis, which is based on molecular weight of proteins. The second-dimension capillary contained a TRIS–CHES–SDS buffer for micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography. After a 61-s preliminary separation, fractions from the first-dimension capillary were successively transferred to the second-dimension capillary, where they further separated by MECC. The two-dimensional separation required 60 min.     

Computational studies on glyceraldehyde and glycine Maillard reaction—I

Mechanisms for the initial stage of glyceraldehyde and glycine Maillard reaction under different pH conditions have been proposed, following usually the Hodge-scheme. Computations have been performed on the mechanisms at the standard state to test the possibility of the formation of different compounds, through evaluating the changes in Gibb's free energy during the reaction. Electronic energy changes during the reaction have also been evaluated. Glyceraldehyde+deprotonated glycine reaction has been found to be the most favorable for the formation of the Amadori rearrangement products in both gaseous and aqueous states. Due to the possibility of the production of both enol and keto forms of the Amadori rearrangement product, the rate of browning in glyceraldehyde+deprotonated glycine reaction is assumed to be faster than the others. Glyceraldehyde+unionized glycine reaction has been found to be more plausible for the formation of the keto form of the Amadori rearrangement products, particularly, in the gaseous phase. Glyceraldehyde+protonated glycine and glyceraldehyde+glycine zwitterion reactions are not favorable for the formation of the Amadori rearrangement products. Formation of hydroxyacetaldehyde from glyceralaldehyde, as one of the possible C2-fragmentation product, has been found to be favorable in the aqueous state.     

Di­aqua­bis(4,5‐di­hydro‐1,2,4‐triazolo[1,5‐a]­pyrimidin‐5‐one‐N3)bis­(thiocyanato‐N)­nickel(II)

The title compound, [Ni(NCS)₂(C₅H₄N₄O)₂(H₂O)₂], crystallizes in the triclinic space group P. The molecular unit contains two neutral mol­ecules of 4,5‐di­hydro‐1,2,4‐triazolo[1,5‐a]­pyrimidin‐5‐one (5HtpO) coordinated through the N atom in position 3, two thio­cyanate ligands coordinated through their N atoms and two water mol­ecules completing an octahedral environment around the Ni^II ion, which lies on a centre of inversion. The structure is stabilized by hydrogen bonding. Distances in the coordination sphere are Ni—N3(5HtpO) 2.132 (2), Ni—O(water) 2.085 (2) and Ni—N(thio­cyanato) 2.040 (2) Å.     

A Review on Effects of Lubricant Formulations on Tribological Performance and Boundary Lubrication Mechanisms of Non-Doped DLC/DLC Contacts

Tribological efficiency of industrial applications involving boundary lubrication regime can be improved to an appreciable extent by the deposition of hard coatings on interacting surfaces. Among such coatings, diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings are considered to be one of the most suitable ones for the said role. DLC coatings possess a unique combination of physical, chemical, and material properties due to which they can help in minimizing friction-induced energy and material losses even under starved lubrication conditions. Since commercial lubricants are optimized for steel surfaces, therefore, a lot of experimental investigations were carried out to analyze the tribological compatibility of these lubricants with various DLC coatings. However, there is still a lack of understanding about how DLC coatings interact with conventional lubricant additives. Some researchers reported tribologically beneficial interactions between DLC coatings and formulated lubricants while others observed no such behavior. To address these inconsistencies, there is a need to rearrange the published data in a more apprehensible and organized manner with a special emphasis on the mechanisms responsible for a particular tribological behavior. In this way, it can be determined whether synergistic or antagonistic correlation exists between a particular DLC-lubricant combination and research on DLC coatings can be continued in a logical way. In this article, most widely investigated non-doped DLC coatings (ta-C, a-C:H, a-C, and ta-C:H) are tribologically analyzed. Average values of friction and wear coefficients are calculated for various DLC-lubricant combinations using already published data and compared to quantify the effectiveness of a particular lubricant additive in enhancing tribological characteristics of symmetrical non-doped DLC contacts. Moreover, tribological performance parameters of non-doped DLC coatings are compared with those of doped-DLC coatings to understand differences in their tribological behavior in combination with additives.