The terms “tochnost’” and “pravil’nost’” as applied to the results of chemical analysis

In this paper, attention is given to the inadequacy of the Russian translation of the term “accuracy” as “pravil’nost’” in publications of the IUPAC recommendations for the presentation of the results of chemical analysis and vocabularies of analytical terms. The essence of the concepts tochnost’ and pravil’nost’ in Russian measurement terminology is considered in historical context, and the evolution of the concepts accuracy in the terminological standards on analytical chemistry (IUPAC Recommendations), metrology, and statistics is traced. It is demonstrated that the one-to-one correspondence between the terms “accuracy” and “tochnost’” and “trueness” and “pravil’nost’,” respectively, which occurs in the present-day standardized terminologies, should also be followed in analytical chemistry     

Remarques sur les définitions des acides et des bases

In the present state of knowledge it is not possible to account for the reactions used in analytical chemistry by setting up a single table of the “acids” and “bases” defined according to LEWIS.The most general definition which can be usefully adopted involves taking into account the exchange of “particles” (electrons, protons, ions, molecules) in the reactions. It follows from this that there arc as many types of reactions as there are “particles”.In accordance with the brönsted theory, in the case where the “particle” exchanged is the proton, an acid-base reaction is involved.     

NOP – Ein neues organischchemisches Grundpraktikum: Nachhaltigkeit per Internet

The sustainable organic chemistry lab course for the new milennium (NOP) makes use of the possibilities that an interactive website provides compared to a conventional lab course published as a textbook or manual. The prospective synthetic chemist can thus gain a more in‐depth understanding of his/her experiments. Detailed information about analytical methods, background information about the sub‐ stances being used and being formed during the experiment and “management ratios” like substance efficiency and energy efficiency are provided. Last but not least, knowledge about the concept “sustainable development” is being adapted to the domain of synthetic chemistry.     

Differential pulse voltammetric determination of selected nitrophenols on novel type of porous silver working electrode prepared by powder metallurgy

Nitrophenols are important environmental pollutants and their monitoring is important because of their genotoxic and ecotoxic properties. Easy electrochemical reduction of nitro groups can be used for their voltammetric determination using mercury based electrodes. However, requirements of green analytical chemistry prompted us to investigate a novel type of silver porous electrode (AgPE) prepared by powder metallurgy compatible with both “green” and “white” analytical chemistry requirements. In this paper, AgPE was for the first time successfully used for differential pulse voltammetric determination of micromolar concentrations of 2-nitrophenol (NP), 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), and 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (TNP) in aqueous media. The main advantage of the novel method is the possibility to use small sample volume (down to 25 μL) and to work in the presence of oxygen when using supporting electrolyte of pH 3. This advantage partially compensates the fact that the obtained sensitivity and limit of detection are not better than with the previously investigated electrodes.     

The History and the Current Revival of the Oxo Chemistry of Iron in its Highest Oxidation States: FeVI – FeVIII

The history of the oxo compounds of iron in its highest oxidation states is reviewed and modern activities in this long neglected area of inorganic chemistry are highlighted. The chemistry of ferrates(VI) is the most rapidly advancing branch owing to several potential applications in diverse fields such as environmental chemistry and energy storage. Convenient and high‐yield preparations of ferrates(VI) in high purity are presented, followed by a coverage of the analytical, spectroscopic, and structural characterization in the solid and in solution, with a focus on the stability of these compounds, which had long been under‐estimated. Particular attention has been paid to the fascinating mechanisms that have been proposed for the intriguing “self‐decay” of the [FeO₄]^2– dianion. Redox processes with inorganic and organic substrates are summarized including fresh and waste water treatment on the one hand and “super‐iron batteries” on the other. Recent advances in the experimental and computational approach to ferrates(VII) [FeO₄]^– and the elusive “iron tetroxide” [FeO₄] are described.     

Integrated Dust Analysis by Physical Methods

Environmental analyses show that the air which we breathe, and which is so essential to life, is in general a mixture of gaseous, liquid, and solid components. The solid airborne particles, whose concentration, homogeneity, chemical composition, size, and shape can vary over wide ranges, and whose origin may be “natural” or “artificial” are referred to as “dust”. Dust particles can act, inter alia, as condensation nuclei, catalysts, and directly as hazardous materials. Unfortunately, we still know far too little about dust. Dust analysis is extremely difficult and challenging, even for modern analytical chemistry; it is still far from being fully automated. The simultaneous determination of as many “dust parameters” as possible, and particularly the synoptic consideration of all available data against a background of physicochemical and technological knowledge on the development, transformation, and effects of dust, are summarized as “integrated dust analysis”.     

Analytical supramolecular chemistry: Colorimetric and fluorimetric chemosensors

Chemical sensing using indicators, or chemosensor, has rapidly developed over the past decades. Its chemistry covers a wide range of scientific fields, in which analytical and supramolecular chemistry are key ideas to create functional and smart chemosensors. The principle of such a chemosensor design consists of three major processes: (1) to separate analytes, (2) to capture a specific analyte from a complex mixture, and (3) to output a signal from a [chemosensor•analyte] complex. In this review, “Analytical Supramolecular Chemistry” as a new scientific area was proposed, enabling us to promote deep insights into the mechanistic understanding of chemosensors. This review describes the interesting and representative chemosensors involving significant photochemical and photophysical processes and recent our advances in analytical supramolecular chemistry.     

Do modern Russian schools provide education or training?

The concepts of “education” and “training” are sometimes considered synonymous. However, it is not true, as education is a result of training always requiring systematization of the acquired knowledge. Students of non-chemical schools have not been receiving education in chemistry in the course of training in chemistry for a long time already. The reason is poorly thought-out reforms of the educational system taking place for the last 10–15 years. The lack of sufficient chemistry education prevents students from mastering chemistry in higher educational institutions. The situation is aggravated by the transition of higher educational institutions to a two-step “bachelor-master” system.     

What's Hot,What's Not: The Trends of the Past 20 Years in the Chemistry of Odorants

This review is the sequel to the 2000 report on the recent advances in the chemistry of odorants and it summarizes the developments in fragrance chemistry over the past 20 years. Following the olfactory spectrum set out in that report, trendsetting so‐called captive odorants (patent‐protected ingredients unavailable to the market) are presented according to the main odor families: “fruity”, “marine”, “green”, “floral”, “spicy”, “woody”, “amber”, and “musky”. The design of odorants, their chemical synthesis, and their use in modern perfumery are illustrated with prominent examples. Featured are new fruity odorants that provide signature in the top note, as well as precursor technology. In the green domain, focus is on leafy notes and green pear. New benzodioxepines and benzodioxoles have modernized the marine family and required a revision of the existing olfactophore models. The replacement of Lilial and Lyral kept the industry busy in the floral domain with a plethora of new “muguets”. There was continued activity in the domain of rose odorants, especially in the area of rose ketones. Biotechnology became significant, for example, with Clearwood and Ambrofix, and the principal odorants of vetiver oil in the woody family have been found. Fourth and fifth families of musk odorants were also discovered and populated. Thus, new avenues for further explorations into fragrance chemistry have been opened.     

Discovery by serendipity: a new context for an old riddle

In the last years there has been a great improvement in the development of computational methods for combinatorial chemistry applied to drug discovery. This approach to drug discovery is sometimes called a “rational way” to manage a well known phenomenon in chemistry: serendipity discoveries. Traditionally, serendipity discoveries are understood as accidental findings made when the discoverer is in quest for something else. This ‘traditional’ pattern of serendipity appears to be a good characterization of discoveries where “luck” plays a key role. In this sense, some initial failures in combinatorial chemistry are frequently attributed to a naïf appropriation of a “serendipity model” for discovery (a “serendipity mistake”). In this paper we try to evaluate this statement by criticizing its foundations. It will be suggested that the notion of serendipity has different aspects and that the criticism to the first attempts could be understood as a “serendipity mistake.” We will suggest that “serendipity” strategies, a kind of blind search, can be seen sometimes as a “genuine part” of scientific practice. A discussion will ensue about how this characterization can give us a better understanding of some aspects of serendipity discoveries.     

New routes in the synthesis of metal oxides,I

Single crystals of numerous new metal oxides “rich in cations” are prepared by using methods such as dis- or conproportionation, thermal decomposition of higher valence oxides, or oxidation of metals and intermetallic compounds (“reactions with the wall”). Exchange reactions allow growth of single crystals even outside of thermodynamic equilibrium. The role of vacancies in structural chemistry as well as in “tailor-made” syntheses is emphasized and illustrated. Molecular aspects of solid state chemistry are demonstrated by cutting chains or rings and by dimerization of small entities. Many examples are provided.     

Physical Methods for the Microanalysis of Solids—General Significance,Recent Developments,and Limitations

The characterization of solid systems by physical methods (“physical analysis”) is one of the most important future-orientated areas of analytical chemistry. Important developments are the increase of the informational content of analytical signals by application of mathematical methods, the investigation of extremely small amounts (microanalysis), as well as concentrations (trace analysis). New developments in analytical methodology and strategy in micro and surface analysis permit, for example, the direct identification of compounds in individual phases in the solid state, the quantitative elemental analysis of aerosol particles in the submicrometer region (identification of asbestos fibers), and highly sensitive distribution analysis of trace elements in semiconductors. Important technological-scientific problems can be explained in this way.     

Odds and Trends: Recent Developments in the Chemistry of Odorants

Fragrance chemistry is, together with the closely related area of flavor chemistry, one of the few domains, if not the only one, in which chemists can immediately experience structure–activity relationships. This review presents structure–odor correlations and olfactophore models for the main odor notes of perfumery: “fruity”, “marine”, “green”, “floral”, “spicy”, “woody”, “amber”, and “musky”. New trendsetters and so‐called captive odorants of these notes are introduced, and recent activities and highlights in fragrance chemistry are summarized. The design of odorants, their chemical synthesis, and their use in modern perfumery is discussed. Our selection is guided and illustrated by creative fragrances, and features new odorants which encompassed current trends in perfumery. New odorants for grapefruit and blackcurrant, for galbanum, and leafy top notes are presented. Compounds with fashionable marine, ozonic, and aquatic facets are treated, as well as new odorants for classical lily‐of‐the‐valley, rose, and jasmine accords. Compounds with sweet and spicy tonalities are also discussed, as are the most recent developments for woody notes such as sandalwood and vetiver. We conclude with musky and ambery odorants possessing uncommon or unusual structural features. Some odor trends and effects are illustrated by microencapsulated fragrance samples, and areas where there is need for the development of new synthetic materials and methodologies are pointed out. Thus, chemists are invited to explore fragrance chemistry and participate in the design and synthesis of new odorants. This review gives the latest state of the art of the subject.     

Total Lipid Extraction of Food Using d-Limonene as an Alternative to n-Hexane

A useful and green method for the extraction of fats and oils with a new procedure combining Soxhlet extraction and Clevenger distillation using d-limonene (bio-solvent) as a substitute for n-hexane (petroleum solvent) is reported. This method using green solvent is a laboratory exercise which easily teaches fundamental green analytical chemical lessons and successfully incorporates green “analytical chemistry” into the teaching and the research laboratory to both developed and developing nations.     

The Quest for Sensitivity,Specificity, and Speed in Chemical Analysis

Abstract

One of the fascinating features of analytical chemistry is the continuous challenge it provides the practitioners of this profession. As we are confronted with our current analytical problems and anticipate even more thought provoking and complex problems in the future it is reassuring to pause and examine the progress that has been made and is being made in the development of sensitive, specific and rapid methods of chemical analysis. Relevant to solving complex analytical problems and in handling samples of unusual complexity I would like to quote a sentence from one of Professor Laitinen's recent editorials in ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY: “It boils down to the fact that complex mixtures will become increasingly important in the future, but no matter how sophisticated the instrumentation may become, the analytical chemist will continue to be the most important component in the solution of analytical problems”¹. A review of the historical developments in analytical chemistry does indicate the importance of individuals and their unique resourcefulness, creativity and rational thinking in responding to practical problems and their own scientific curiosity.     

“元素化学实验”中的“异常”现象(一)--Mn元素化学实验中的“异常”现象及其探析

大一学生在“元素化学实验”教学过程中,对反应条件如温度、催化剂、酸度、浓度或试剂用量等因素的影响考虑不周,可能出现某些实验现象和预想的或理论分析的结果不一致的“异常”现象。本文就学生在Mn元素化学实验过程中遇到的一些“异常”现象进行分析和总结,借助生动直观的演示实验,引导学生探究“异常”现象产生的可能原因和直观认识反应条件对反应结果的影响,培养学生的观察、分析、判断、归纳、推理和解决实际问题的能力。     

Analysis of Low Molecular Weight Homologues of Fiber-Forming Polycondensates

Oligomers belong to the gray area between low molecular weight chemistry and macromolecular chemistry. Although they represent an undesirable “natural impurity” in fiber-forming polycondensates, they serve as useful model compounds for the corresponding polymers in fundamental research. Whereas for many years new classes of oligomers were being made preparatively accessible and the isolation of higher oligomers in pure form was being pursued, at the present time the emphasis is on analysis. By a combination of classical chemical and instrumental methods of analysis from polymer and organic chemistry, the identification of oligomers of unknown structure, the analytical control of their synthesis and the determination of their content in technical polymers has meanwhile become a routine task.     

“元素化学实验”中的“异常”现象(一)--Mn元素化学实验中的“异常”现象及其探析

大一学生在“元素化学实验”教学过程中,对反应条件如温度、催化剂、酸度、浓度或试剂用量等因素的影响考虑不周,可能出现某些实验现象和预想的或理论分析的结果不一致的“异常”现象。本文就学生在Mn元素化学实验过程中遇到的一些“异常”现象进行分析和总结,借助生动直观的演示实验,引导学生探究“异常”现象产生的可能原因和直观认识反应条件对反应结果的影响,培养学生的观察、分析、判断、归纳、推理和解决实际问题的能力。