Response on “Regulations in the field of residue and doping analysis should ensure a well-defined risk of a false positive declaration” by N. M. Faber

Dr. Faber provided support for a valuable methodology for the comparison of mass spectra. However, since many other factors are involved in the evaluation process before declaring a sample “positive”, i.e. reporting an adverse analytical finding, his conclusions on this subject are incorrect. In this paper a number of arguments are listed showing that Dr. Faber did not take all factors under consideration when making his claims. These factors involve parameters directly related to mass spectrometric criteria, but also to other equally important factors including sample preparation specificity, retention time (since in doping control mass spectrometry is used as part of a hyphenated technique), etc. These arguments clearly illustrate that the risks for a false positive declaration can not be calculated according to Dr. Faber’s proposed methodology. Papers published in this section do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Editors, the Editorial Board and the Publisher.     

Studies of the atomization mechanism in a graphite furnace—I. The contents of the gaseous impurities in the furnace and their variations

Using theoretical calculations of the partial pressures of gaseous impurities in the atmosphere in a GFA as a basis, the authors arrived at conclusions which are at variance with those of L'vov and frech and their co-workers. Accordingly, the partial pressure of free oxygen (p_o) in a GFA originates predominantly from the thermal decomposition of the oxides of the analyte and impurities in the matrix during atomization when the temperature is higher than 1000°C; then, p_o depends on the nature of the sample. The total amount of oxygen in a GFA depends on the initial amount of it in the argon gas and the amount released from the sample when the temperature is lower than 1000°C.The variation of the partial pressure of CO is for the first time characterized as follows: the content of CO, which is mainly dependent on the sample and the total amounts of gaseous impurities in the argon purge gas, does not vary markedly with the temperature and other factors during the whole process of atomization. The gaseous impurities exist mainly in the form of CO.     

Reduction of irradiation off-odor and lipid oxidation in ground beef by α-tocopherol addition and the use of a charcoal pack

A combination of a charcoal pack during irradiation and α-tocopherol addition into ground beef was applied to eliminate an irradiation characteristic off-odor and to retard the lipid oxidation caused by the irradiation process. Ground beef was mixed with 200 ppm α-tocopherol and gamma irradiated with 0, 5, and 10 kGy with or without a charcoal pack present during the irradiation treatment. The pH of the control group was lower than that of α-tocopherol and charcoal pack treatment initially but increased rapidly and showed higher pH at day 7. Addition of α-tocopherol with or without charcoal pack addition showed lower 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances values in irradiated ground beef at days 3 and 7 compared to those without addition. The color of ground beef was not significantly affected by the treatment. However, odor preference result showed that 10 kGy-irradiated ground beef with a combination of charcoal pack and α-tocopherol addition had higher scores than the control group regardless of irradiation. Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) gas chromatograph/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis identified various volatile compounds that were created by irradiation of ground beef. These compounds were reduced or eliminated when a charcoal pack was used during the irradiation process. The results of the present study imply that combination of packaging with a charcoal pack during the irradiation process and addition of α-tocopherol into ground beef is a good method to effectively eliminate an irradiation off-odor and retard the lipid oxidation development in ground beef caused by irradiation.     

The characterization of and the evolution of molecular hydrogen by the μ-hydrido-bridged cyclodecyl cation. Relevance to the question of hydrocarbon protonation by superacids

The observable cyclodecyl cation is established as having a 1,5-μ-hydrido-bridged structure and most probably exists as a mixture of conformational isomers. This solution carbocation is unique in organic chemistry in that it evolves molecular H₂ at temperatures below -100°C to give the 9-decalyl cation. The mechanism of this reaction is postulated to involve a pentacoordinated carbocation intermediate or transition state with a structure identical to what one would get by protonating the bridgehead C-H bond of decalin. Since conversion of decalin to the decalyl cation in superacids is not accompanied by significant H₂ production, the mechanism of these two reactions must be different, and in the latter case could not involve a protonated pentacoordinate carbocation intermediate, as has been postulated.     

Theoretical study of the structure and properties of complexes formed by lithium and a boron α sheet

The ability of lithium to form complexes with a boron α sheet and the occurrence of ionic conduction in the compounds formed were evaluated using quantum-chemical methods. The obtained materials were established to be stable, and the weight fraction of lithium can reach 0.32. It was concluded that a low potential barrier for migration of lithium ions over the surface indicates the presence of ionic conduction.     

Alteration of the Conformational Dynamics of a DNA Hairpin by α-Synuclein in the Presence of Aqueous Two-Phase Systems

The effect of an amyloidogenic intrinsically disordered protein, α-synuclein, which is associated with Parkinson's disease (PD), on the conformational dynamics of a DNA hairpin (DNA-HP) was studied by employing the single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer method. The open-to-closed conformational equilibrium of the DNA-HP is drastically affected by binding of monomeric α-synuclein to the loop region of the DNA-HP. Formation of a protein-bound intermediate conformation is fostered in the presence of an aqueous two-phase system mimicking intracellular liquid-liquid phase separation. Using pressure modulation, additional mechanistic information about the binding complex could be retrieved. Hence, in addition to toxic amyloid formation, α-synuclein may alter expression profiles of disease-modifying genes in PD. Furthermore, these findings might also have significant bearings on the understanding of the physiology of organisms thriving at high pressures in the deep sea.     

Alkaloids of Nitraria komarovii. XI. Structure of komavicine and the products of the dehydrogenation of the nitrarine method of dehydrogenation in the quinolinyl-β-carboline series

The new alkaloid komavicine has been isolated from the epigeal part ofNitraria komarovii, and its structure has been established on the basis of spectral characteristics and chemical transformations. The products of the dehydrogenation of nitrarine with selenium and sulfur have been studied. A method has been developed for the dehydrogenation of dihydro and tetrahydro derivatives in the quinolinyl--carboline series.Institute of Chemistry of Plant Substances, Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences, Tashkent. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 1, pp. 33–39, January–February, 1993.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Ti-ZSM-5 in a Non-alkaline Medium in the Presence of Fluoride Ions

Ti-ZSM-5 was synthesized by hydro thermal crystallization in the presence of fluoride via using a non-alkaline medium. pH values were 5~7. SEM showed perfect Ti-ZSM-5 crystals and a large single crystal growing from the favourable medium. Substitution of titanium for silicon in the ZSM-5 framework led to a decrease of crystal size and of the length/width ratio. Electron microprobe analysis indicated a homogeneous distribution of titanium in the ZSM-5 framework. The unit cell parameters of the Ti-ZSM-5 determined by XRD increased with an increase in titanium content in the framework. TiO4tetrahedron vibrations were found in the IR spectrum. Si(1Ti) peakwas seen in the 29Si MAS NMR spectrum at -1O1ppm(from TMS) and 13CMAS NMR analysis verified the effect of (C3H7)4N F- occluded in thechannels. XPS study on the precursors, calcined and H2O2 adsorbed Ti-ZSM-5 was performed and some interesting results were observed.     

Studies on steroidal plant growth regulator——27.Stereoselective construction of the side chain of brassinosteroid by employing a separated dialkylation and a tandem dialkylation of the pyranone moiety

A stereocontrolled construction of the side chain of brassinosteroid was developedvia the separated dialkylation and the tandem dialkylation of the pyranone moiety as the keystep.     

The Effect of a Covalent and a Noncovalent Small-Molecule Inhibitor on the Structure of Abg β-Glucosidase in the Gas-Phase

The effects of binding two small-molecule inhibitors to Agrobacterium sp. strain ATCC 21400 (Abg) β-glucosidase on the conformations and stability of gas-phase ions of Abg have been investigated. Biotin-iminosugar conjugate (BIC) binds noncovalently to Abg while 2,4-dinitro-2-deoxy-2-fluoro-β-d-glucopyranoside (2FG-DNP) binds covalently with loss of DNP. In solution, Abg is a dimer. Mass spectra show predominantly dimer ions, provided care is taken to avoid dissociation of dimers in solution and dimer ions in the ion sampling interface. When excess inhibitor, either covalent or noncovalent, is added to solutions of Abg, mass spectra show peaks almost entirely from 2:2 inhibitor-enzyme dimer complexes. Tandem mass spectrometry experiments show similar dissociation channels for the apo-enzyme and 2FG-enzyme dimers. The +21 dimer produces +10 and +11 monomers. The internal energy required to dissociate the +21 2FG-enzyme to its monomers (767?±?30 eV) is about 36 eV higher than that for the apo-enzyme dimer (731?±?6 eV), reflecting the stabilization of the free enzyme dimer by the 2FG inhibitor. The primary dissociation channels for the noncovalent BIC-enzyme dimer are loss of neutral and charged BIC. The internal energy required to induce loss of BIC is 482?±?8 eV, considerably less than that required to dissociate the dimers. For a given charge state, ions of the covalent and noncovalent complexes have about 15 % and 25 % lower cross sections, respectively, compared with the apo-enzyme. Thus, binding the inhibitors causes the gas-phase protein to adopt more compact conformations. Noncovalent binding surprisingly produces the greatest change in protein ion conformation, despite the weaker inhibitor binding.

Heck Arylation of Cyclohexene Promoted by Ultrasonic and Micro wave in Ionic Liquid： a Novel Method of the Synthesis of 3-Naphthylcyclohexene

Palladium catalyzed arylation or vinylation of olefins by aryl halides are well known as the Mizoroki-Heck reaction and have proved to be of genuine synthetic utility for C-C bond formation1. Although a lot of progress has been made in Heck coupling react…     

Self-quenching and self-sensitization in the photochemistry of a styrylquinoline–merocyanine dyad

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Sorption–Desorption of Copper and Strontium Ions by the Soil. The Influence of Microorganisms on the State of Metals

Sorption of heavy metal (copper and strontium) ions by the meadow chernozem and grey forest soils differing in the content of organic substance was described using the Langmuir equation. The analysis of characteristic sorption coefficients demonstrated that copper possesses the enhanced affinity for the studied soil samples compared to strontium. Maximal values of the sorption of copper (0.085 mmol/g) and strontium (0.045 mmol/g) obtained for the colloidal fraction of meadow chernozem soil (particle diameter d < 1 m) are approximately 1.5 times larger than for the same fraction of grey forest soil; this ratio remains almost the same even when using the coarser fraction (d < 50 m). It was established that up to 90% of metal ions could be present in the soil in an immobile form. An increase in the concentration of heavy metal ions in the soil causes their redistribution between the components of absorbing soil complex and an increase in the fraction of metal in mobile forms (water-soluble, exchange, soluble in weakly acidic medium). Upon the microbiological treatment (bioleaching in the suspension variant) of the soils containing copper or strontium ions, the total content of metal, including its mobile forms, decreases by an order of magnitude.     

Regiochemical control in the hemiacetalization of a dihydroxydialdehyde. An application of the use of homochiral 3-methyl-δ-butyrolactones to the construction of homochiral tripropionate units.

A method for the inversion of lactone homochirality and subsequent chain extension of dipropionate to tripropionate units is discussed. The synthetic sequence leads to (+)-methyl Prelog-Djerassi lactonic acid.     

Assessing the activity concentration of β-emitters by means of the end-window g.m. tube

The activity concentrations of β-emitters including ³⁵S (0.15 MeV) and presumably also ¹⁴C (0.14 MeV) may be determined with satisfactory accuracy using an end-window G.M. counter. For single preparations (if weighed), the described procedure warrants that the standard error will not exceed 0.8%, if the amount of substrate is kept below 0.2 mg/cm², and if carrier-free solutions are avoided. With a minimum of 4 preparations per sample solution, the error of the mean should not exceed 0.4%,