Elastic properties of chemically modified baker's yeast cells studied by AFM

Chemical pretreatment is widely used to facilitate transformation of living cells when foreign components are introduced into a cell through the cell wall. The influence of appropriate chemicals on the wall properties and mechanism of transformation is still a matter of intensive studies. Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells (also known as baker's yeast) were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The cell walls were modified by lithium acetate and dithiothreitol. The AFM imaging was performed in liquid water‐based environment. The living cells were fixed by trapping into the holes of a polycarbonate membrane. Mechanical and morphological properties of initial intact cells and treated cells were investigated. The increased stiffness of the chemically treated cells was observed. As deduced from the applied theoretical Hertz‐Sneddon model, the treated cells show completely different response mechanism to applied mechanical pressure in comparison with the intact cells. Also, the increased roughness of the cell wall of the treated yeasts was observed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An adsorptive stripping voltammetry of nickel and cobalt at a solid lead electrode

For the first time, a solid lead electrode (PbE) was exploited for adsorptive stripping voltammetric determination of Ni(II) and Co(II) in the presence of nioxime as a complexing agent. The calibration graphs for Ni(II) and Co(II) were linear from 0.059 to 0.59 µg L^?1 and from 0.029 to 0.29 µg L^?1 (accumulation time 120 s), respectively. The analytical parameters such as the detection limit and separation of analytical signals obtained at the solid lead electrode were comparable with those obtained using a lead film electrode while better in comparison to those reported before for the bismuth film or solid bismuth electrodes. Co(II) could be determined in the presence of a large excess of Ni(II) and Zn(II). The proposed electrode was applied to determine Co(II) and Ni(II) traces in certified reference material and a natural water sample with satisfactory results.     

修饰沙粒对Pb(Ⅱ)的吸附性及其在痕量Pb(Ⅱ)分离富集与测定中的应用

本文用不同浓度的氢氧化钠溶液修饰天然沙粒并通过扫描电镜、静态氮吸附和红外光谱法考察了修饰天然沙粒的表面结构、比表面积和功能基团,优化了修饰条件;以修饰天然沙粒为填料制备分离富集微柱,采用FAAS着重研究了修饰沙粒对Pb2+的动态吸附及其在痕量Pb2+分离富集和测定中的应用;结果表明:天然沙粒被修饰后其表面形貌、比表面积、表面孔体积和粒径分布发生变化,表面变得更粗糙,孔体积和比表面积增大,硅羟基红外吸收峰强度也明显增强;其比表面积为12.55m2/g,平均孔(坑)径为25.29nm,平均孔体积48.04mm3/g(D8.3 nm);在室温下,溶液pH为5.5,上样流速为1.50m L·min-1时,修饰天然沙粒对Pb2+的动态吸附量可达到32.6 mg·g-1,吸附率为93.6%,选用0.5mol·L-1的盐酸溶液以3.0m L·min-1流速进行洗脱,洗脱率为97%;适用于痕量Pb2+的分离富集和测定,结果令人满意。     

Water-vapor pressure and thermodynamics of the dehydration of manganese,nickel, cadmium,and lead perchlorate hydrates

The water-vapor pressure has been measured by a static method, the temperature limits for existence have been determined, and the parameters of the equation lgp [Torr]=b —a/T have been calculated for the following crystal hydrates: Mn(ClO₄)₂ · 2H₂O (90–130°C, a=3527.0,b=8.487), Ni(ClO₄)₂ · 4H₂O (60–100°C,a=3606.7,b=9.704), Ni(C1O₄)₂ · 2H₂O (110–160°C,a = 4261.7,b = 10.103), Cd(ClO₄)₂ · 6H₂O (25–58.2°C,a = 3143.7,b = 9.356), Cd(ClO₄)₂ · 2H₂O (90–144.8°C,a=3823.3,b = 9.472), Pb(ClO₄)₂ · 3H₂O (10–47°C,a = 2932.9,b = 9.391 and 47–81.5°C,a = 2448.1,b=7.877), Pb(ClO₄)₂ · H₂O (60–102.4°C,a=3610.2,b = 9.857). A hitherto unknown metastable hydrate Cd(ClO₄)₂ · 4H₂O with a phase transition at 30.9°C (20–30.9°C,a = 3669.5,b = 11.343 and 30.9–63.7°C,a=3058.6,b = 9.339) has been detected.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 3, pp. 466–470, March, 1993.     

Simultaneous determination of lead,copper, and mercury at a modified carbon paste eletrode containing humic acid

The modified carbon paste electrode (CPE) responding simultaneously to lead(II), copper(II), and mercury(II) ions has been constructed by incorporating humic acid (HA) into the graphite powder with Nujol oil. Simple immerging of the electrode into the measuring solution containing these metal ions led to the chemical deposition of the ions onto the electrode through the complexation of the ions with HA. Cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) characterized the modified electrode's surfaces. Several cyclings of the potential regenerated the electrode (from more positive than the stripping potential of reduced Hg to more negative than the reduction of Pb(II)ion), which was then used for another deposition. After five deposition/measurement/regeneration cycles, the peak current of voltammograns of the analyte decreased slightly. The response reproduced with a 5.1% relative standard deviation. We also applied ihe differential pulse technique to the previously mentioned system. Here, the detection limit tor Pb(II), Cu(II), and Hg(II) ions were 5.0 × 10⁻⁹ M 8.0 × 10⁻⁹ M, and 8.0 × 10⁻⁹ M, respectively, for 20 minutes of deposition time. After pretreatment of silver(I) ion with KC1, we could not observe any interference by other metal ions on the determination of the test ions in aqueous solution. Satisfactory results were acquired for the determination of the test metal ions in certified standard urine reference material SRM's 2670 (trace elements in urine).     

Accumulation of cadmium,lead, and nickel by fungal and wood biosorbents

Native fungal biomass of fungiAbsidia orchidis, Penicillium chrysogenum, Rhizopus arrhizus, Rhizopus nigricans, and modified spruce sawdust (Picea engelmanii) sequestered metals in the following decreasing preference pb>Cd>Ni. The highest metal uptake was q_max = 351 mg Pb/gA. orchidis biomass. P.chrysogenum biomass could accumulate cadmium best at 56 mg Cd/g. The sorption of nickel was the weakest always at < 5 mg Ni/g. The spruce sawdust was modified by crosslinking, oxidation to acidic oxoforms, and by substitution. The highest metal uptake was observed in phosphorylated sawdust reaching q_max = 224 mg Pb/g, 56 mg Cd/g, and 26 mg Ni/g. The latter value is comparable to the value of nickel sorption by wet commercial resin Duolite GT-73. Some improvement in metal uptake was also observed after reinforcement of fungal biomass.     

Bakers' yeast: an environment benign catalyst for the one-pot synthesis of indolyl chromenes and bisindolyl alkanes

A green protocol for one-pot synthesis of pharmacologically important indolyl chromenes and bis(indolyl)alkanes was achieved using Saccharomyces cerevisiae (commonly known as bakers' yeast) as catalyst under room temperature stirring condition. This method is relatively simple, efficient, inexpensive, and environment-friendly.     

On-line solid-phase extraction using alizarin violet functionalized silica gel for determination of trace lead in environmental samples and wastewater by sequential injection spectrophotometry

Trace of Pb(Ⅱ) has been on-line separated and enriched from environmental samples and wastewater by using the self-made alizarin violet functionalized silica gel micro-column coupling with a sequential injection sampling technology. The determination is based on the color reaction of Pb(Ⅱ) with iodide and crystal violet to form an ionic association complex in the presence of polyvinyl alcohol and hydrochloric acid. The use of the microcolumn can prevent the interference of most familiar metal ions, and ther...     

Negishi cross-coupling reactions catalyzed by an aminophosphine-based nickel system: a reliable and general applicable reaction protocol for the high-yielding synthesis of biaryls

Treatment of NMP solutions of NiCl(2) with 1,1',1'-(phosphanetriyl)tripiperidine (≈2.05 equiv), dissolved in THF, in air at 25 °C forms a highly active catalytic system for the cross-coupling of a large variety of electronically activated, non-activated, deactivated, and ortho-substituted, heterocyclic, and functionalized aryl bromides and aryl chlorides with diarylzinc reagents. Very high levels of conversion and yields were obtained within 2 h at 60 °C in the presence of only 0.1 mol% of catalyst (based on nickel) and thus at catalyst loadings far lower than typically reported for nickel-catalyzed versions of the Negishi reaction. Various aryl halides-which may contain trifluoromethyl groups, fluorides, or other functional groups such as acetals, ketones, ethers, esters, lactones, amides, imines, anilines, alkenes, pyridines, quinolines, and pyrimidines-were successfully converted into the corresponding biaryls. Electronic and steric variations are tolerated in both reaction partners. Experimental observations indicate that a molecular (Ni(I)/Ni(III)) mechanism is operative.     

Combination of integrated expanded bed adsorption chromatography and countercurrent chromatography for the direct extraction and purification of pseudohypericin and hypericin from St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum L.)

St. John's wort has attracted particular attention because of its beneficial effects as an antidepressant, antiviral, and anticancer agent. A method for the combination of integrated expanded bed adsorption chromatography and countercurrent chromatography for the simultaneous extraction and purification of pseudohypericin and hypericin from the herb is presented in this paper. Firstly, the constituents were extracted and directly adsorbed by expanded bed adsorption chromatography under optimal conditions. The stepwise elution was then performed by expanded bed adsorption chromatography that enriched the targets with higher purities and recoveries compared to other methods. Secondly, the eluent fractions from expanded bed adsorption chromatography were further separated by two‐step high‐speed countercurrent chromatography. A two‐step high‐speed countercurrent chromatography method with a biphasic solvent system composed of n‐hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water with a volume ratio of 1:2:1:2 was performed by stepwise changing the flow rate of the mobile phase. Consequently, 5.6 mg of pseudohypericin and 2.2 mg of hypericin with purities of 95.5 and 95.0%, respectively, were successfully obtained from 40 mg of crude sample.     

Polymer complexes: supramolecular modeling for determination and identification of the bond lengths in novel polymer complexes from their infrared spectra

Synthesis and characterization of allyl propenyl‐2‐(4‐derivatives phenylazo)butan‐3‐one (HL_n) are described. The monomers obtained contain N?N and carbonyl functional groups in different positions with respect to the allyl group. This structural difference affects the stereochemical structure of the uranyl polymer complexes prepared by the direct reaction of uranyl acetate with the monomers. The polymer complexes are characterized by elemental analyses, ¹H and ¹³C NMR, electronic and vibrational spectroscopy and other theoretical methods. The bonding sites of the hydrazone are deduced from IR and NMR spectra and each of the ligands were found to bond to the UO₂²⁺ ion in a bidentate fashion. The monomers obtained contain N?N and carbonyl functional groups in different positions with respect to the allyl group. IR spectra show that the allyl azo homopolymer (HL_n) acts as a neutral bidentate ligand by coordinating via the two oxygen atom of the carbonyl group, thereby forming a six‐membered chelating ring. The υ₃ frequency of UO₂²⁺ has been shown to be a good molecular probe for studying the coordinating power of the ligands. The υ₃‐values of UO₂²⁺ from IR spectra have been used to calculate the force constant, F_UO (in 10^?8 N/Å) and the bond length R_UO (in Å) of the U? O bond. We adopted a strategy based upon both theoretical and experimental investigations. The theoretical aspects are described in terms of the well‐known theory of 5d–4f transitions. The necessary structural data (coordination geometries and electronic structures) are determined from a framework for the modeling of novel polymer complexes. The Wilson, G. F. matrix method, Badger's formula and the Jones and El‐Sonbati equations were used to determine the stretching and interaction force constants from which the U? O bond distances were calculated. The bond distances of these complexes were also investigated. The effect of Hamett's constant is also discussed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.