Refractive index of standard oils as a function of wavelength and temperature

The refractive indices (n) of eight standard oils from Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt, Germany were determined with an accuracy of ±1×10⁻⁴ by using Abbe Refractometer. The measurements were performed at temperature 20°C in the spectral range 0.4–0.7 μm. The experimental data were fitted to the simple Cauchy dispersion formula and the results were found to be consistent within the limits of experimental error. In all cases, the refractive index decreased monotonically with increasing wavelength. The refractive indices (n) of these oils have been measured as a function of the temperature t (20°C up to 50°C) at λ=0.589 μm and were found to have linear temperature dependencies. The refractive indices of the studied oils and the uncertainty in their values are calculated at λ=0.589. The Lorentz–Lorenz (L–L) formula has been tested and it was found to be valid with a maximum deviation of 0.4% and was used to calculate the molecular polarizability θ.     

Measurement of wire diameter by optical diffraction

A combined interference and diffraction pattern, in the form of equidistant interference fringes, resulting from illuminating a vertical metallic wire by a laser beam is analyzed to measure the diameter of four standard wires. The diameters range from 170 to 450 μm. It is found that the error in the diameter measurements increases for small metallic wires and for small distances between the wire and the screen due to scattering effects. The intensity of the incident laser beam was controlled by a pair of sheet polaroids to minimize the scattered radiation. The used technique is highly sensitive, but requires controlled environmental conditions and absence of vibration effects. The expanded uncertainty for k=2 is calculated and found to decrease from U(D)=±1.45 μm for the wire of nominal diameter 170 μm to ±0.57 μm for the diameter 450 μm.     

On the stereospecific conversion of proximally-oxygenated trisubstituted vinyltriphenylstannanes into stereodefined trisubstituted alkenes

[reaction: see text] Allylically oxygenated vinyl alpha-triphenylstannanes such as 22 can be readily converted into vinyl iodides and thereafter stereodefined trisubstituted alkenes with retention of configuration.     

Derivatisation for liquid chromatography/electrospray mass spectrometry: synthesis of pyridinium compounds and their amine and carboxylic acid derivatives

A simple method has been developed for the pre-column derivatisation of low molecular weight primary and secondary amines and carboxylic acids using quaternary nitrogen compounds to enhance their detection by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS). The synthesis of seven novel quaternary nitrogen reagents is described. The derivatives are designed to be relatively small molecules to avoid some of the steric hindrance problems that may be associated with larger derivatisation reagents. The compounds have amine and carboxylic acid functional groups with which to derivatise carboxylic acids and amines, respectively. Two of the compounds contain a bromine atom in order to assess the advantages of a bromine isotope pattern in the mass spectra. This acts as a simple marker for derivatisation and enables data processing by cluster analysis.Activation of the carboxylic acid group was achieved by the use of either 1-chloro-4-methylpyridinium iodide (CMPI) or the more reactive 1-fluoro-4-methylpyridinium p-toluenesulphonate (FMP).1 Using both of these active reagents, the degree of nucleophilic substitution was investigated for the derivatisation of a variety of small molecules. Whilst giving some increase in the ESI-MS response for the derivatised compounds, the FMP itself acted as a derivatising reagent in a competing reaction. In the light of this finding, FMP was reacted with the test compounds separately and gave positive results as a derivatising reagent. Detection of the 'pre-charged' derivatives of amines and carboxylic acids by LC/ESI-MS was investigated with respect to their ESI response and chromatography.     

Synthesis of a simplified bryostatin C-ring analogue that binds to the CRD2 of human PKC-alpha and construction of a novel BC-analogue by an unusual Julia olefination process

[structure: see text] The synthesis of two truncated bryostatin analogues 2 and 3 is described. High-field NMR measurements on the C-ring analogue 3 in C(2)H(3)CN containing 25% (2)H(2)O have shown that it binds to the CRD2 of human PKC-alpha at virtually the same position as phorbol-13-acetate (PA) and bryostatin 1 (1). NMR titration studies have also revealed that 3 binds to the CRD2 with a potency similar in magnitude to PA but much less potently than 1.     

New,abridged pathway to Masamune's "southern hemisphere" intermediate for the total synthesis of bryostatin 7

[reaction: see text] The "Southern Hemisphere" intermediate 2, used by Masamune and co-workers for their asymmetric total synthesis of bryostatin 7 (1), has been synthesized from (E)-1,4-hexadiene (11) by a 24-step pathway that has a longest linear sequence of only 20 steps. This is the shortest synthesis of 2 so far recorded, and moreover, it is fully stereocontrolled.     

Quantum chemical calculations based on ONIOM and the DFT methods in the inclusion complex: doxycycline/2-O-Me-β-cyclodextrin

A computational study of inclusion complexes of 2-methyl-βCD with Doxycycline tautomeric (enol and keto form) has been performed with several combinations of ONIOM hybrid calculations. The reliability of the ONIOM2 calculations at the integrated level, ONIOM2 (M05-2X/6-31G(d): M05-2X/3-21G*), ONIOM2 (M05-2X/6-31G(d):HF/3-21G*), ONIOM2 (B3LYP/6-31G(d):HF/3-21G*), ONIOM2 (B3LYP/6-31G(d):B3LYP/3-21G*) and ONIOM2 (B3PW91/6-31G(d):B3PW91/3-21G*) was examined. Their complexation, binding, deformation and stabilization energies, and geometrical data were compared with those of the target geometry structure optimized at the M05-2X/6-31G(d) level of theory. Mixed combinations ONIOM2 (M05-2X 6-31G(d):HF 3-21G*) and ONIOM2 (B3LYP 6-31G(d):HF 3-21G*) reproduces nearly the target geometry structure and provides realistic energetic results at a relatively low computational cost.     

Approaches to uncertainty evaluation based on proficiency testing schemes in chemical measurements

Since the advent of the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) founding the principles of uncertainty evaluation, numerous projects have been carried out to develop alternative practical methods when it is impossible to model technical or economical aspects of the measurement process. These methods can use all the experimental data available to the laboratories, such as repeatability, reproducibility, quality-control charts, etc. The studies presented in this paper compare the results obtained by the modelling method from GUM with the uncertainties found by applying alternative methods. They show two examples, one in the field of environmental monitoring, the other in the biomedical field, based on the exploitation of PT schemes results. Presented at BERM-11, October 2007, Tsukuba, Japan.