Influence of the sulfonate countercation on the thermal stability of nafion perfluorosulfonate membranes

We report a strong dependence of the thermal stability of Nafion® perfluorosulfonate ionomer on the nature of the counterion associated with the fixed sulfonate site. These results were obtained using thermal gravimetric analysis on a series of alkali metal and alkyl ammonium cation-exchanged Nafion films. We have found that the temperature of decomposition of Nafion is inversely dependent on the size of the exchanged cation; i.e., Nafion films show improved thermal stability as the size of the counter cation decreases. We attribute this inverse relationship of thermal stability with counterion size to an initial decomposition reaction which is strongly influenced by the strength of the sulfonate-coun-terion interaction. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Identification of peroxyacetic acid uroporphyrin I in the urine of patients with congenital erythropoietic porphyria by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry

A new porphyrin, peroxyacetic acid uroporphyrin I, has been isolated from the urine of patients with congenital erythropoietic porphyria by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography. The porphyrin was characterized by high resolution mass spectrometry and by typical chemical reactions of a peroxyacid.     

Modelling treatment effects in the HIV/AIDS epidemic

Advances in recent treatments for HIV/AIDS patients have shown dramatic outcomes in extending the incubation period and AIDS survival time, while also providing significant improvements in the quality of patients' lives. A compartmental model is proposed to analyse the effects of the various treatment regimens which have been introduced. The results produced are in good agreement with routinely collected data relating to levels of HIV/AIDS incidence and prevalence in the UK homosexual population. Some parameter values within the model are obtained from surveys, census results, etc, but others are derived using a maximum likelihood estimation procedure. Finally, the model is used to project levels of incidence and prevalence over the next few years, and to investigate several possible scenarios.     

Synthesis of a deca-lithium cage containing an [(RN)2As(mu-NR)As(NR)2]4- tetraanion; a homologue of group 15 trianions of the type [E(NR)3]3-

The novel, deca-lithium cage [(mtaNHLi)(As2(Nmta)5)-Li(4).2thf]2 (1) (mtaN = 5-methylthiazolyl, C4H4N2S) contains an imido-bridged tetraanion [(mtaN)2As(mu-Nmta)-As(Nmta)2]4-, which represents a new type of multi-functional imido group 15 ligand framework (homologous with group 15 anions of the type [As(NR)3]3-).     

Templating and selection in the formation of macrocycles containing [[P(micro-NtBu)(2)](micro-NH)](n) frameworks: observation of halide ion coordination

Amination of [ClP(micro-NtBu)](2) (1) using NH(3) in THF gives the cyclophospha(III)zane dimer [H(2)NP(micro-NtBu)](2) (2), in good yield. (31)P NMR spectroscopic studies of the reaction of 1 with 2 in THF/Et(3)N show that almost quantitative formation of the cyclic tetramer [[P(micro-NtBu)](2)(micro-NH)](4) (3) occurs. The remarkable selectivity of this reaction can (in part) be attributed to pre-organisation of 1 and 2, which prefer cis arrangements in the solid state and solution. The macrocycle 3 can be isolated in yields of 58-67 % using various reaction scales. The isolation of the major by-product of the reaction (ca. 0.5-1 % of samples of 3), the pentameric, host-guest complex [[P(micro-NtBu)(2)](2)(micro-NH)](5)(HCl).2 THF] (4.2 THF), gives a strong indication of the mechanism involved. In situ (31)P NMR spectroscopic studies support a stepwise condensation mechanism in which Cl(-) ions play an important role in templating and selection of 3 and 4. Amplification of the pentameric arrangement occurs in the presence of excess LiX (X=Cl, Br, I). In addition, the cyclisation reaction is solvent- and anion-dependent. The X-ray structures of 2 and 4.2 THF are reported.     

Rapid method for the measurement of methylprednisolone and its hemisuccinate in plasma and urine following "pulse therapy" by high-performance liquid chromatography

A rapid method for the measurement of methylprednisolone and its 21-hemisuccinate ester in plasma and urine following high dose pulse therapy is described. The drugs were extracted using Extrelut columns, eluted with ethyl acetate which was evaporated to dryness and the residue was reconstituted in chromatographic mobile phase. High-performance liquid chromatography was performed on a reversed-phase column using a mobile phase of acetonitrile-acetate buffer with detection at 251 nm. No interference from any drugs or endogenous compounds has been observed. The method has been used to analyse over 200 plasma and 150 urine samples from patients with rheumatoid disease or renal failure who have received high dose methylprednisolone hemisuccinate infusions.     

Geometric prequantization on the spin bundle based onN-symplectic geometry: The dirac equation

We present preliminary results for a prequantization procedure that leads in a natural way to the Dirac equation. The starting point is the recently introducedn-symplectic geometry on the bundle of linear framesLM of ann-dimensional manifoldM in which the ⁿ-valued soldering 1-form onLM plays the role of then-symplectic potential. On a 4-dimensional spacetime manifold we consider the tensorial ⁴⁴valued function onLM determined by the spacetime metric tensor g as the Hamiltonian for free observers and determine the associated ⁴-valued Hamiltonian vector field , Integration of theX ⁱ yields the dynamics of free observers on spacetime, namely parallel transport of linear frames along spacetime geodesies. In order to obtain a vector field on the spin bundleSM which is a lift of and which is induced by a vector field for an appropriate mapping , it is useful to define a prolongation of some bundleL ^o M of oriented frames ofM. IfGL ⁺(4, ) denotes the identity component ofGL(4, ), thenGL ⁺(4, ) is the structure group ofL ^o M and its double cover is the structure group of. We show that the lift of onL ^o M to induces a natural 4-symplectic potential on. If is the lift of g to, then we find the ⁴-valued Hamiltonian vector field on determined by and show that the vector fieldsX _g ⁱ on are tangent to the subbundleSM. Integration of the restriction of theX ⁱ toSM now yields parallel transport of spin frames and thus tetrads along spacetime geodesies of g. We consider a naive prequantization operator assignment acting on ⁴-spinors in the standard representation ofSL(2, ). The eigenvalue equation for the system of new Hilbert space operators yields the Dirac equation.     

Synthesis and structure of [(Sn(mu-PCy))3(Na x PMDETA)2], containing an electron-deficient [(Sn(mu-PCy))3]2- dianion

The reaction of CyPHNa with Sn(NMe2)2 in the presence of PMDETA (= (Me2NCH2CH2)2NMe) gives the title compound [(Sn(mu-PCy))3(Na x PMDETA)2] (1), containing an electron-deficient [(Sn(mu-PCy))]3(2-) dianion with a novel two-electron, three centre (2e-3c) bonding arrangement.