Screening of psychotropic drugs in human hair based on high-performance thin-layer chromatography and microliquid extraction

The monitoring of the physiological and functional state of personnel from dangerous industries is very important for the ensuring of ecological security. Usually, this involves testing for the consumption of alcohol and drugs of abuse. During the last several years the use of legal psychotropic drugs has increased and the control over these drugs has became an actual problem. As is well known, the long-term history of drugs present in the body is accessible through hair analysis. This is why the aim of our research is to create a screening procedure based on coupling high-performance thin-layer chromatography with microliquid extraction as a psychotropic drug testing method for hair. Some widely distributed antidepressants, neuroleptics, and sedative drugs are chosen for research. The optimal experimental conditions for all of the consequent steps for the screening detection of the model samples are determined. The visual and densitometric detection limits allow for the employment of the proposed technique for a fast and cost-effective analysis of the drugs of abuse.     

Shape-Memory Effect in Polymer Composites with a Compactible Filler

The shape-memory effect has been investigated in formed porous polymers and composites under heating. An epoxy polymer, ultrahigh-molecular polyethylene, and polypropylene were used as the polymeric matrix and carbon materials of different bulk density were taken for the filler. An unconventional shape-memory effect, which is accompanied by an increase in volume, was created. Processing schemes by which this effect can be achieved are proposed. They make it possible to obtain products of varying configuration.     

Kinetics of Central Ion Electroreduction in Cerium (IV)-Decatungstate

A general characteristics is given to the kinetics of electroreduction of cerium-decatugstate anions on mercury, polycrystalline gold, and the pyrolytic-graphite basis plane in acetate buffer solutions (pH 3.5-6.0). Based on the analysis of UV absorption spectra, the ratio of two reactant forms differing in the protonation degree in solutions under study is estimated. At a negatively charged mercury electrode, the reduction of the Ce(IV) central ion is shown to proceed as an outer-sphere process with classical manifestations of the psi-prime effect (polarization curves reveal a current minimum which deepens with supporting electrolyte dilution and an increase in the reactant negative charge). On the positively charged surface, the current is observed to increase with an increase in the supporting electrolyte concentration, which is interpreted in terms of the strong adsorption of the reactant and its coadsorption with cations. The gold electrode demonstrates pronounced effects of strong chemisorption. Adsorption complications observed on pyrolytic graphite are shown to become strongther for surfaces with more pronounced nonideal behavior. For low concentrations of atomar steps (apparently, for low coverages of pyrolytic-graphite surface with the adsorbed reactant), the quasireversible electron transfer with the rate increasing with increasing pH is observed.     

Effect of viscous dissipation on temperature,viscosity, and flow parameters while filling a channel

A non-steady, non-isothermal flow while filling a channel is studied with account for dissipation of mechanical energy, dependency of viscosity on temperature, and existence of free surface. Simulation results are presented for fields of temperature, viscosity, dynamic and kinematic parameters of flow as a function of key dimensionless parameters.     

Shape restoration after combined deformation of a composite consisting of an epoxy polymer and thermoexpanded graphite

Size restoration is studied for samples of an epoxy polymer filled with thermoexpanded graphite upon their heating after deformation including extrusion with subsequent compression in a mold. The proposed scheme of combined deformation is shown to be applicable for implementing the shape memory effect, where the sample behaves as a material with a negative Poisson ratio.     

Incremental Approach to HPLC Analysis of Anthocyans

Relative analysis and relative incremental analysis, which can substantially simplify the determination of anthocyanidine glycosides without using standards, were used to determine anthocyans from plant materials by reversed-phase HPLC. The compositions of anthocyans from several plants grown in Belgorod district were investigated.     

Solid state features of electrocrystallized tungstate films

X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and infra-red spectroscopy are applied to study the evolution of films electrodeposited from acidic tungstate solutions. Structural inhomogeneity is found to be responsible for the difference in rechargeability of films of different thickness. Voltammetric responses demonstrate pronounced sensitivity to the nature of crystalline phases, thus throwing light on the defects of the lattice features of nonstoichiometric W(V)–W(VI) oxides. One crystalline phase observed in the films under study and attributed to the layered nonstoichiometric oxohydroxide was never reported for oxotungstate films fabricated by other techniques. This phase is believed to be special to electrocrystallized films and to keep some structural features of dissolved isopolytungstate molecular precursors.Dedicated to Prof. G.Horanyi with the highest respect to his experimental talents, remarkable papers and important contributions in various fields of modern electrochemistry.     

Pefloxacin determination in urine by synchronous fluorimetry

The feasibility of using synchronous fluorescence spectra for the determination of fluoroquinolone antibiotics in biological liquids is demonstrated. Pefloxacin chelating with metal ions in a micellar medium increases the determination sensitivity.     

Electrooxidation of Organic Substances on Platinum Modified with Oxotungstate Adlayers

The behavior of a platinized platinum electrode (roughness factor 500) in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ containing Na₃PW₁₂O₄₀ (PW₁₂) is studied by cyclic voltammetry. It is established that the effect of the PW₁₂ additive on the adsorption of hydrogen and oxygen is similar to the influence exerted by specifically adsorbed anions: a predominant displacement of strongly-bound hydrogen and a heavy suppression of oxygen adsorption are observed. It is shown that the regularities of oxidation of methanol, ethylene glycol, and formic acid at platinized platinum undergoe substantial alteration in the presence of PW₁₂. In the region of potentials E _r = 0.6–0.8 V, where the limiting stage of these processes is the adsorption of organic molecules, the oxidation rates substantially decrease. The run of steady-state polarization curves in the region E _r = 0.40–0.55 V depends on the direction of potential change and the extreme value of E _r. With E _r varied from 0.6–0.8 V in the direction of lower values in the interval E _r < 0.45–0.50 V, the oxidation processes accelerate as compared with the rates in the absence of PW₁₂. The acceleration occurs if conditions are created for a preliminary adsorption of the tungstate.