Competitive adsorption from multicomponent non-electrolytic liquid mixtures on heterogeneous solid surfaces

Summary A simple model for competitive adsorption from multicomponent non-electrolytic liquid mixtures on energetically heterogeneous solid surfaces is discussed in terms of statistical thermodynamics. Integral equations are derived for the fundamental thermodynamic quantities that characterize competitive adsorption at the liquid-solid interface. Extensive model studies are presented in order to illustrate the influence of adsorbent heterogeneity on the behaviour of these thermodynamic quantities.on leave from Faculty of Chemistry, M. Curie-Sklodowska University, PL-20031 Lublin, Poland     

The prediction of isothermal phase equilibria for non-ideal multicomponent mixtures from heats of mixing

A method is presented for predicting both vapor—liquid and liquid—liquid equilibria for multicomponent mixtures using heat of mixing data for the constituent binary pairs together with pure component vapor pressures. Its application to two highly non-ideal hydrocarbon ternary systems is discussed. The parameters of the hybrid local composition model of Renon and Prausnitz, known as the NRTL equation, were evaluated from heat of mixing data for the three binary pairs in each of the two ternary systems. The parameters thus obtained were used in the multicomponent form of the NRTL equation to predict the ternary vapor—liquid equilibrium data for the completely miscible system cyclohexane(1)—n-heptane(2)—touluene(3) and for the partially miscible system acetonitrile(1)—benzene(2)—n-heptane(3) without the need for any ternary or higher order parameters.This method predicted compositions of the single phase region of the partially miscible ternary system with a standard deviation of 10%. It also predicted compositions for the fully miscible system with a standard deviation of 4.6%. Total pressure curves for the partially miscible and miscible ternaries were predicted with standard deviations of 6.6% and 4.5% respectively. Poor predictions of the binodal curve for the partially miscible region were obtained. The method offers a means of predicting the whole range of ternary phase equilibria for miscible systems.     

Statistical thermodynamics of adsorption from multicomponent liquid mixtures on heterogeneous solid surfaces

The statistical thermodynamics of adsorption from multicomponent liquid mixtures on heterogeneous solid surfaces is discussed by assuming the cell adsorption model and ideal adsorbed phase.Two integral representations for the adsorption isotherm are proposed: one based onn-dimensional energy distribution function (i.e., each adsorption site is characterized by adsorption energies of all components), and the other based on distribution of differences of adsorption energies ofn-1 components in relation to adsorption energy of the chosen component (i.e., each adsorption site is characterized byn-1 differences of adsorption energies of the components in relation to adsorption energy of the chosen component).The expressions for differential adsorption heat for adsorption from binary liquid mixtures have been derived from both integral equations.

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Statistische Thermodynamik der Adsorption aus flüssigen Mehrkomponentenmischungen auf heterogenen festen Oberflächen

Zusammenfassung Die statistische Thermodynamik der Adsorption von aus mehreren Komponenten bestehenden flüssigen Mischungen auf heterogenen festen Oberflächen wird für das Modell der Zellenadsorption bei ideal adsorbierter Phase diskutiert.Zwei Integraldarstellungen der Adsorptionsisotherme werden vorgeschlagen: eine auf einen-dimensionale Verteilungsfunktion der Energie gestützte (das heißt, jede Adsorptionsstelle wird durch Adsorptionsenergien von allen Komponenten charakterisiert); die andere basiert auf der Verteilung der Unterschiede von Adsorptionsenergien dern-1-Komponenten in bezug auf die Adsorptionsenergie der ausgewählten Komponente (das heißt, jede Adsorptionsstelle wird durchn-1-Unterschiede charakterisiert. Formeln für differentiale Adsorptionswärmen für die Adsorption aus binären flüssigen Mischungen sind von beiden Integral-Gleichungen abgeleitet worden.

     

Photogenerated polyelectrolyte bilayers from an aqueous-processible photoresist for multicomponent protein patterning

A novel photoresist (PR) that can be processed under mild aqueous conditions was synthesized and used to create photogenerated polyelectrolyte bilayers. Thin films of the PR cast on polycation-coated substrates were exposed to UV irradiation to generate carboxylate groups in the photoresist. The bulk of the UV-exposed PR film was dissolved by rinsing with pH 7.4 phosphate-buffered saline, but a polyelectrolyte bilayer formed in situ at the PR/polycation interface on exposure remained bound to the substrate. The UV-exposed photoresist also exhibited pH-dependent solubility; it was soluble in water above pH 6.6, but insoluble at lower pHs. Using these unique properties, two-component protein patterning was achieved using biotinylated PR films under conditions that avoid exposing the proteins to conditions outside the narrow range of physiological pH, ionic strength, and temperature where their stability is greatest.     

氨基己酸为配基的新型弱阳离子交换/疏水双功能色谱固定相对蛋白质的分离纯化

以硅胶为基质、氨基己酸为配基制备了一种新型弱阳离子交换/疏水（WCX/HIC）双功能混合模式色谱固定相。该固定相配基具有一定的疏水性且含有羧基,在高盐浓度下表现为HIC的性质,可作为HIC固定相使用;在低盐浓度条件下表现为离子交换的性质,可作为WCX固定相使用。分别考察了该介质在WCX和HIC两种模式下对标准蛋白质的分离性能,并与商品柱进行比较。结果表明,所合成的WCX/HIC双功能固定相在WCX和HIC两种模式下对蛋白质均有较高的分离度和选择性,且分离能力与商品柱相当,两种模式下标准蛋白质的质量和活性回收率均大于93%,表明该柱具有“一柱二用”的功能,适于生物大分子的分离纯化。基于此双功能色谱柱构建的在线单柱二维液相色谱（2DLC-1C）可在60 min内实现8种蛋白质的快速分离。在70 min内完成了对蛋清中溶菌酶的二维纯化,纯度可达到98.3%。该技术中一根色谱柱可当作两根色谱柱使用,对蛋白质组学研究和重组蛋白药物的生产具有重要的应用价值。     

Capillary gas chromatography based on a capsule-insertion technique. 1. General aspects and comparison with split-injection systems

A capsule-insertion system tailored to the needs of capillary gas chromatography is described. It provides the basis for a truly quantitative and improved qualitative approach to open tubular capillary GLC. The advantages of the system lie in its simplicity of handling and in the possibility of using relatively low injection temperatures, thus reducing the risks to thermally unstable samples. The observed high efficiencies characterizing this capillary GLC capsule technique allow full advantage to be taken of the operating capacity of the superior capillary columns to give a performance competitive with the best known split-injection systems.     

Application of plug–plug technique to ACE experiments for discovery of peptides binding to a larger target protein: A model study of calmodulin‐binding fragments selected from a digested mixture of reduced BSA

To discover peptide ligands that bind to a target protein with a higher molecular mass, a concise screening methodology has been established, by applying a “plug–plug” technique to ACE experiments. Exploratory experiments using three mixed peptides, mastoparan‐X, β‐endorphin, and oxytocin, as candidates for calmodulin‐binding ligands, revealed that the technique not only reduces the consumption of the protein sample, but also increases the flexibility of the experimental conditions, by allowing the use of MS detection in the ACE experiments. With the plug–plug technique, the ACE–MS screening methodology successfully selected calmodulin‐binding peptides from a random library with diverse constituents, such as protease digests of BSA. Three peptides with K_d values between 8–147 μM for calmodulin were obtained from a Glu‐C endoprotease digest of reduced BSA, although the digest showed more than 70 peaks in its ACE–MS electropherogram. The method established here will be quite useful for the screening of peptide ligands, which have only low affinities due to their flexible chain structures but could potentially provide primary information for designing inhibitors against the target protein.     

Analysis of osmotic pressure data for aqueous protein solutions via a multicomponent model

Integral equation theories and Monte Carlo simulations were used to study the Donnan equilibrium, which is established by an equilibrium distribution of a simple electrolyte between an aqueous protein-electrolyte mixture and an aqueous solution of the same simple electrolyte, when these two phases are separated by a semipermeable membrane. In order to describe the unusually low osmotic pressure found in many experiments we assumed that protein molecules can form dimers. The model solution contains proteins in a monomeric form, represented as charged hard spheres, or in a dimerized form, modeled as fused charged hard spheres. The counterions and coions were also modeled as charged hard spheres but of a much smaller size. The associative mean spherical and hypernetted-chain approximations were applied to this model. In addition, Monte Carlo computer simulations were performed for the same model system mimicking a lysozyme solution in the presence of 0.1 M sodium chloride. Theory and simulations were found to be in reasonably good agreement for the thermodynamic properties such as chemical potential and osmotic pressure under these conditions. Using the theoretical approaches mentioned above, we analyzed the experimental data for the osmotic pressure of bovine serum albumin in 0.15 M sodium chloride, human serum albumin solution (HSA) in 0.1 M phosphate buffer, and lysozyme in sulphate and phosphate buffers. The theoretically determined osmotic coefficients were fitted to the existing experimental data in order to obtain the fraction of dimers in solution. Our analysis indicated that there was relatively small self-association of protein molecules for bovine serum albumin solutions at pH=5.4 and 7.3, with the fraction of dimers smaller than 10%, while at pH=4.5 the dimer fraction was equal to 50%. In the case of HSA solutions, strong negative deviations from the ideal value were found and at pH=8.0 a reasonably good agreement between the theory and experiment is obtained by assuming full dimerization. For HSA solution at pH=5.4, the best fit to the experimental results was obtained for a fraction of dimers equal to 80%.     

Hasse diagram technique as a tool for water quality assessment

The management of the quality large water catchments is a complex problem which requires intelligent data analysis on various levels – analytical, spatial, and temporal. Recently, a successful approach is developed combining advanced multivariate data treatment approaches like self-organizing maps of Kohonen (SOM) and Hasse diagram technique (HDT). In the first step of the environmetric analysis the monitoring data were subject to pre-processing using SOMs to reduce the number of objects and/or water quality parameters. In the next step HDT for partial ranking (both in spatial and temporal aspect) was applied according to the pre-selected set of the water quality parameters. The use of the water quality norms issued by the Bulgarian environmental authorities revealed important details in assessing the Maritsa River water quality. Thus, the relations between different water quality patterns and sampling stations could be used by water management authorities during the period of observation.     

AT-column, a novel concentrating technique for large-volume injections in gas chromatography

Nowadays, large-volume injection is widely used for the GC determination of trace analytes, specifically to improve detectability. The most popular injectors for large-volume injections are the programmable temperature vaporisation (PTV) injector and the cold on-column (COC) injector, where each device has its own advantages and limitations. The novel AT-column concentrating technique combines features of two other injection techniques, loop-type large-volume and vapour overflow. AT-column injection is based on solvent evaporation in an empty liner with solvent vapour discharge via the split line. Little or no optimisation is required. The only relevant parameter is the injection temperature which can easily be calculated using the equation of Antoine. As an application, AT-column injection is combined with GC-MS for the trace-level determination of labile analytes and with GC-flame ionisation detection for the analysis of high molecular weight polymer additives. In summary, AT-column is an injection technique that combines the inertness of the COC, and the flexibility and robustness of the PTV large-volume technique.     

完全未知混合体系的纯物种光谱辨析

基于因子分析的迭代目标转换算法,本文提出一种从完全未知混合物体系中获取纯物种光谱的解析方法。该法简单明了,不增加任何困难即可拓广至含n组份的混合体系,对光谱峰形状亦无任何附加限制要求。先采用计算机模拟技术对该法进行了校验,继用于紫外可见与荧光光谱的实际混合体系的解析,均获满意结果。     

A decoration technique for defect analysis in ceramics

A decoration technique for the visualization of microcracks based on chemical impregnation and transmitted light optical investigation is described.     

Quality assurance system for a decomposition method as demonstrated for the Wickbold combustion technique

 A five-step model for a quality assurance system is developed for an internal quality control check. It includes the quality control of the decomposition method and the detection method as steps belonging together. The Wickbold combustion technique as decomposition method in combination with atomic absorption spectrometry was chosen. The vaporization of the elements mercury, arsenic, lead, antimony and selenium is based on combustion in an oxyhydrogen flame. To check the efficiency of the analytical system, the uncertainty of results was calculated on the basis of the "Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement". Received: 13 January 1997 · Accepted: 29 March 1997     

Critical parameters in a supported liquid membrane extraction technique for ionizable organic compounds with a stagnant acceptor phase

The reviews cover important critical parameters that are often optimized in a supported liquid membrane extraction technique in both flat sheet and hollow fibre designs for ionizable organic molecules. Understanding of these parameters can enable one to predict the behavior of the compound before hand and thus reduce the number of optimization experiments. Moreover, less number of experiments can be also generated using statistical techniques which are now becoming more commonly used. Supported liquid membrane extraction optimal parameters such as the conditions of the pH of the acceptor and donor phases should easily be fixed from the pKa values of the compounds. Other parameters, including the polarity of the compound can help to predict the partitioning into the membrane and the behavior of the compound. The influence of parameters such as temperature on the mass transfer in supported liquid membrane depends on the design of the module, experimental design and type of mass transfer controlling the extraction process.     

Membrane protein and peptide sample handling for MS analysis using a structured MALDI target

Different sample handling methods for hydrophobic proteins and peptides were evaluated in association with the utilization of a structured matrix-assisted laser/desorption ionization (MALDI) target for increased sensitivity. The fluorinated organic solvent hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) was used for the solubilization of both the full-length protein bacteriorhodopsin (BR) and a cyanogen bromide digest thereof, and compared to the performance of the non-ionic detergents octyl--d-glucopyranoside (OG), dodecyl--d-maltoside (DM), and Triton X-100. A concentrating effect was seen when using the structured MALDI plate for BR dissolved in all the different detergents, of which OG generated the best-quality spectra for the full-length integral membrane protein as well as for the hydrophobic peptides. However, the uneven analyte distribution obtained with the detergent preparations required selective and thus time-consuming acquisition of spectra. When instead HFIP was used as sample solvent, a tenfold increase in sensitivity was achieved for full-length BR. Addition of acids to the HFIP-solubilized sample, or to the MALDI matrix solution, improved the signals for a few of the peptides, while degrading the spectra of others. Consequently, the addition of acid could be used as a complementary sample preparation method for hydrophobic peptides. On-target washing to remove contaminants (e.g., salt) was performed, and a recrystallization protocol for signal improvement specifically suited for hydrophobic peptides is described. Results from digestion and solubilization in different micro centrifuge tubes were examined to determine the influence of different materials on the possible sample loss due to wall adhesion. Studies of sample solution storage times suggest immediate analysis after solubilization to obtain best results.     

Comparative protein modeling of 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate reductoisomerase enzyme from Plasmodium falciparum: a potential target for antimalarial drug discovery

Plasmodium falciparum 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate reductoisomerase (Pf-DXR) is a potential target for antimalarial chemotherapy. The three-dimensional model (3D) of this enzyme was determined by means of comparative modeling through multiple alignment followed by intensive optimization, minimization, and validation. The resulting model demonstrates a reasonable topology as gauged from the Ramachandran plot and acceptable three-dimensional structure compatibility as assessed by the Profiles-3D score. The modeled monomeric subunit consists of three domains: (1) N-terminal NADPH binding domain, (2) connective or linker domain (with most of the active site residues located in this domain), and (3) a C-terminal domain. This structure proved to be consistent with known DXR crystal structures from other species. The predicted active site compared favorably with those of the templates and appears to have an active site with a highly conserved architecture. Additionally, the model explains several site-directed mutagenesis data. Besides using several protein structure-checking programs to validate the model, a set of known inhibitors of DXR were also docked into the active site of the modeled Pf-DXR. The docked scores correlated reasonably well with experimental pIC50 values with a regression coefficient (R2) equal to 0.84. Results of the current study should prove useful in the early design and development of inhibitors by either de novo drug design or virtual screening of large small-molecule databases leading to development of new antimalarial agents.     

A method for isolating functional RNA from callus of Dendrobium candidum contented rich polysaccharides

Isolation of high-quality RNA from Dendrobium candidum is particularly difficult. D. candidum contains considerable amounts of polysaccharides that coprecipitate with RNA, which render RNA unsuitable for either cDNA synthesis and/or PCR amplification. In this paper, a rapid and efficient method was described for functional RNA isolation from the callus of D. candidum. The procedure included: (i) an extraction with phenol and isopropyl alcohol, to remove proteins and polyphenols; (ii) purifications by lithium chloride, pre-cooled (−20 °C) ethanol successively to remove polysaccharides. The method resulted in high-quality RNA suitable for DDRT-PCR and cDNA library analysis finally.     

Rapid removal of selected volatile organic compounds from gaseous mixtures using a new dispersive vapor extraction technique: A feasibility study

A new dispersive vapor extraction (DVE) technique for rapid removal of selected volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from gaseous mixtures was investigated. In this technique, less than 1.0 mL of a volatile solvent was vaporized for 8 min in a 250-mL flask containing a gaseous mixture. The flask was then cooled under running tap water for 2-3 min to induce condensation of the vapor and co-extraction of the VOCs from the headspace. The technique was tested over a concentration range of 4-23 ppb, and resulted in extraction efficiencies ranging from 80 to 97% for the VOCs tested. Because of its simplicity and the relatively short sampling time, DVE could potentially lead to high sample throughput and rapid air analysis.