Molecular rotational potentials in the SC* phase of binary ferroelectric liquid crystal mixtures

The spontaneous polarization and tilt angle have been measured as a function of temperature and concentration in the S_C* phase of four binary ferroelectric liquid crystal mixtures. The substances have been chosen in a way that different situations could be studied, for example mixtures of a chiral substance (P_s non-zero) with a non-chiral one (P_s = 0) and mixtures of chiral compounds with the same sign of P_s as well as with opposite signs. The results have been interpreted by means of a molecular rotational model and potentials associated with the tilt as well as with the chirality have been determined as a function of concentration.     

Interaction of soybean agglutinin with leukemic T-cells and its use for their in vitro separation from normal lymphocytes by lectin-affinity chromatography

A procedure for separation of leukemic T-cells from normal lymphocytes, using lectin-affinity column chromatography, is described. CNBr-activated Sepharose 6MB was used as a non-mobile phase. The gel was covalently coupled with soybean agglutinin (SBA), then served as an affinity probe for fractionation of mixture of normal lymphocytes and leukemic cells. Leukemic cell lines, derived from acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Jurkat, MOLT-4, RPMI-8402), were tested. The elution of normal lymphocytes was carried out by PBS(-). The leukemic T-cells, interacting with SBA, were removed by N-acetyl-D-galactosamine or low-concentration acetic acid. The type and viability of the separated cell fractions were analyzed by flow cytometry and fluorescent microscopy, using adequate fluorescent antibodies. The interaction of leukemic T-cells with free SBA, as well as with SBA-conjugated Sepharose beads, was examined fluorimetrically and visualized by fluorescent microscopy, using FITC-SBA as a marker. The rate of cell elution on SBA-affinity column decreased in order: normal > leukemic T-cells. Both normal lymphocytes and leukemic T-cells were removed in a mixture from SBA-free Sepharose 6MB by PBS(-) and were not fractionated discretely. The leukemic T-cells specifically interacted with SBA as well as with SBA-affinity adsorbent. In contrast, the normal lymphocytes did not interact with free SBA as well as with SBA-conjugated Sepharose beads in the concentrations applied. The method potentially combines a discrete cell fractionation with manifestation of a specific target cytotoxicity of SBA against leukemic T-cells, without any influence on normal lymphocytes.     

A fiber-optic cyclodextrin-based sensor

This paper describes the development of a fiber-optic cyclodextrin-based (FCD) sensor. The device uses laser excitation and fluorescence detection with beta-cyclodextrin as the reagent phase, immobilized at the tip of an optical fiber. The sensitivity of the FCD sensor is 14 times as great as that of a bare optical fiber when measurements are made with the fiber immersed in a buffer after a 10-min incubation period. The selectivity of the sensor is illustrated with pyrene as the model compound and 5,6-benzoquinoline as the interferent. An interference study with a contaminated environmental ground water sample is used to illustrate the usefulness of the FCD device.     

Ring-opening cross-metathesis (ROCM) as a novel tool for the ligation of peptides

The development of ring-opening cross-metathesis (ROCM) as a novel tool for the site-specific ligation of peptide units is reported. The resulting structural units at the site of ligation resulting from ROCM resemble proline as well as other known beta-turn stabilising structural units. ROCM under mild reaction conditions between a variety of peptides bearing a cyclic olefin with amino acids or peptides results in high yields. The peptidic cross-partners for metathesis are equipped with double bonds via the N and the C terminus and the side chain, respectively, to allow the synthesis of linear as well as non-linear and branched peptides. The ligation in this manner succeeds with low catalyst loadings, with no need for any excess of one reaction partner and with a high compatibility with a wide range of functional groups. Furthermore, the stereochemical outcome of the ROCM can easily be controlled by using a Hoveyda-type chiral catalyst. Fluorescence labelling of peptides is possible in the same manner when using a cyclic olefin equipped with a fluorescence marker.     

Optimization of capillary electrophoretic-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometric analysis of catecholamines

The capillary electrophoretic-mass spectrometric analysis (CE-MS) of catecholamines was optimized with coaxial sheath flow interface and electrospray ionization (ESI). The parameters studied included the sheath liquid composition and its flow rate, separation conditions in ammonium acetate buffer together with the ESI and cone voltages as mass spectrometric parameters. In addition, the effect of ESI voltage on injection as well as the siphoning effect were considered. The optimized conditions were a sheath liquid composition of methanol-water (80:20 v/v) with 0.5% acetic acid, with a flow rate of 6 microL/min. The capillary electrophoretic separation parameters were optimized with 50 mM ammonium acetate buffer, pH 4.0, to +25 kV separation voltage together with a pressure of 0.1 psi. The most intensive signals were obtained with an ESI voltage of +4.0 kV and a cone voltage of +20 V. The nonactive ESI voltage during injection as well as avoidance of the siphoning effect increased the sensitivity of the MS detection considerably. The use of ammonium hydroxide as the CE capillary conditioning solution instead of sodium hydroxide did not affect the CE-MS performance, but allowed the conditioning of the capillary between analyses to be performed in the MS without contaminating the ion source.     

Adsorption of metal ions on crosslinked poly(4-vinylpyridine) resins prepared with a metal ion as template

Poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PVP) was crosslinked with 1,4-dibromobutane with a metal ion as template. The adsorption behavior of copper, cobalt, zinc, and cadmium ions on the obtained resin (DBQP) was studied. The DBQP resin prepared with a metal ion as template preferentially adsorbed the metal ion used as template. The stability constant of the copper complex of DBQP was largest for the DBQP resin prepared with a copper ion as template, which was due to its large entropy change for the complexation.     

Molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction sorbent for the clean-up of chlorinated phenoxyacids from aqueous samples.

A molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was synthesized using the herbicide 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid as a template, 4-vinylpyridine as an interacting monomer, ethylendimethacrylate as a cross-linker and a methanol-water mixture as a porogen. The binding properties and the selectivity of the polymer towards the template were investigated by frontal and zonal liquid chromatography. The polymer was used as a solid-phase extraction material for the clean-up of the template molecule and some related herbicides (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, fenoprop, dichlorprop) from river water samples at a concentration level of ng/ml with quantitative recoveries comparable with those obtained with a traditional C18 reversed-phase column when analyzed by capillary electrophoresis. The results obtained show that the MIP-based approach to the solid-phase extraction is comparable with the more traditional solid-phase extraction with C18 reversed-phase columns in terms of recovery, but it is superior in terms of sample clean-up.     

Copper(I) complexes with bipyridyl and phosphine ligands: a systematic study

Phosphorescent copper(I) complexes carrying 2,2'-bipyridyl derivatives and phosphine ligands have been prepared and fully characterised. The role of the bipyridyl as well as the phosphine ligands in defining the optical, as well as the chemical properties of the complexes, are discussed. The light emission of these complexes is investigated as a function of the molecular geometry: rigid complexes with restricted freedom to rearrange in the excited state are found to show a quantum yield of phosphorescence one order of magnitude higher than those complexes with no steric constraint. The complexes have been extruded in a polymer matrix as a proof of principle of their processability.     

选择性接聚乙烯醇枝聚醚氨酯的合成及其血液相容性

合成了α－甲基，ω－（２，３－环氧丙基）－聚乙二醇醚（Ⅱ）．经水解得到悬挂聚乙二醇（ＰＥＧ）枝的丙二醇－２，３（Ⅲ）．用二元醇（Ⅲ）为扩链剂制得了在硬链段上接有ＰＥＧ枝的聚醚氨酯（Ｈ－ＰＥＵ）．以四氢呋喃与少量大分子单体（Ⅱ）进行正离子开环共聚合制得每个链接有约１．３个ＰＥＧ枝的聚丁二醇（Ⅳ），用以合成了在软链段上接有ＰＥＧ枝的聚醚氨酯（Ｓ－ＰＥＵ）．ＥＳＣＡ及抗凝血性研究结果表明，不同位置接枝的ＰＥＵ，其表面都有明显的聚醚链段富集．Ｓ－ＰＥＵ抗凝血复钙时间只比未接枝者增长约２０％，而Ｈ－ＰＥＵ则增约一倍，比Ｓ－ＰＥＵ增约６０％．随ＰＥＧ最增大，复钙时间增长．     

Diverse Reactivity of Dienes with Pentaphenylborole and 1-Phenyl-2,3,4,5-Tetramethylborole Dimer

The reactions of a monomeric borole and a dimeric borole with 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene and 1,3-cyclohexadiene were investigated. The monomeric borole reacted at ambient temperature whereas heat was required to crack the dimer to form the monomer and induce reactivity. 2,3-Dimethyl-1,3-butadiene reacts to give diverse products resulting from a cycloaddition process with the B−C moiety of the boroles acting as a dienophile, followed by rearrangements to furnish bicyclic species. For 1,3-cyclohexadiene, a [4+2] process is observed in which 1,3-cyclohexadiene serves as the dienophile and the boroles as the diene partner. The experimental results are corroborated with mechanistic theoretical calculations that indicate boroles can serve as either a diene or dienophile in cycloaddition reactions with dienes.     

A novel layer-by-layer approach for the fabrication of conducting polymer/RNA multilayer films for controlled release

Poly(anilineboronic acid) (PABA)/ribonucleic acid (RNA) multilayer films were prepared under neutral condition using a layer-by-layer deposition of PABA and RNA. RNA was used both as a polyelectrolyte for multilayer formation as well as dopant for PABA. Photoelastic modulated infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy measurements suggest that PABA interacts covalently with RNA through the formation of a boronate ester, a boron-nitrogen dative bond, as well as electrostatic interactions of anionic phosphates with cationic amines. The deposition procedure was monitored with UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, showing a linear dependence of absorbance with the number of PABA/RNA bilayers deposited. The multilayer films were further characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ellipsometry, which yielded a PABA/RNA bilayer thickness of approximately 10 nm. The PABA/RNA multilayer films are redox-active at neutral pH, consistent with the formation of a self-doped polymer. Electrochemical control of PABA under these conditions allows potential-induced controlled release of RNA from a multilayer at neutral pH, suggesting that this may serve as a novel method for controlled release of RNA under physiological conditions.     

Effects of Various Amounts of New Hepta-Ether as the Internal Donor on the Polymerization of Propylene with and without the External Donor

The new hepta-ether compound as the internal donor was synthesized using the Williamson reaction of dipentaerythritol with sodium hydride as the strong base and iodomethane as the alkyl halide. The hepta-ether compound was characterized by NMR, FTIR, and GC techniques. The MgCl₂-supported catalysts incorporated with different amounts of hepta-ether compound as the internal donor and without the internal donor were synthesized and characterized. The propylene polymerization was carried out using these catalysts in the presence of triethylaluminum as a co-catalyst and hydrogen as a chain transfer agent, with and without the external donor. The effect of a new internal donor on propylene polymerization using prepared MgCl₂-supported Ziegler-Natta catalysts was investigated.     

Modification of Lignins. I. Reaction of Lignins with Chlorophosphazenes

Lignin is a potential raw material for several applications. The immediate future should result in the development of lignin modifications yielding new polymers with special properties such as flame and/or thermal resistance. In this report a new reaction of lignins with chlorophosphazenes is discussed. The effect of different types of lignin and chlorophosphazene oligomers on the properties of the reaction product was investigated. The reactions were found to result in products with flame as well as with a base and acid hydrolitic resistance.     

Bioactivation of self-immolative dendritic prodrugs by catalytic antibody 38C2

Self-immolative dendrimers have recently been developed and introduced as a potential platform for a multi-prodrug. These unique structural dendrimers can release all of their tail units, through a self-immolative chain fragmentation, which is initiated by a single cleavage at the dendrimer's core. Incorporation of drug molecules as the tail units and an enzyme substrate as the trigger can generate a multi-prodrug unit that will be activated with a single enzymatic cleavage. We have synthesized the first generation of dendritic prodrugs with doxorubicin and camptothecin as tail units and a retro-aldol retro-Michael focal trigger, which can be cleaved by catalytic antibody 38C2. The bioactivation of the dendritic prodrugs was evaluated in cell-growth inhibition assay with the Molt-3 leukemia cell line in the presence and the absence of antibody 38C2. The dendritic unit was applied as a platform for a heterodimeric prodrug, which achieved a remarkable increase in toxicity with its bioactivation.     

Highly redispersible sugar beet nanofibers as reinforcement in bionanocomposites

A simple method for preparing redispersible nanofibers from sugar beet residue and their use as a well-dispersed reinforcement for a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix is reported. It is known that the redispersion of dried cellulose nanofibers is difficult because of the formation of strong hydrogen bonds between the nanofibers. The results show that the properties of the initial sugar beet nanofiber suspension can be recovered without the use of chemical modification or additives with higher pectin and hemicellulose content. Undried and redispersed nanofibers with and without pectin were used as nanocomposite reinforcement with PVA. The redispersed nanofibers were as good reinforcements as the undried nanofibers. The tensile strength and elastic modulus of the nanocomposites with the redispersed sugar beet nanofibers were as good as those of the nanocomposites with undried nanofibers. Interestingly, the nanofiber dispersion in the PVA matrix was better when sugar beet nanofibers containing pectin and hemicellulose were used as reinforcements.     

Determination of fipronil by solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

A method for the determination of trace amounts of the insecticide fipronil was developed using solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and selected ion monitoring. Fipronil was extracted with a fused-silica fiber coated with 85 microm polyacrylate. The effects of pH, ionic strength, sample volume, extraction and desorption times as well as the extraction temperature were studied. Lindane was used as an internal standard. The linear concentration range of application was 0.3-100 ng ml(-1) of fipronil, with a relative standard deviation of 9.5% (for a level of 50 ng ml(-1)) and a detection limit of 0.08 ng ml(-1). The method was applied to check the eventual existence of fipronil above this limit in water and soil samples from Granada (Spain) as well as in human urine samples. The method validation was completed with spiked matrix samples. The method can be applied as a monitoring tool for water, soil and urine, in the investigation of environmental and occupational exposure to fipronil.     

An Anthracene-Based Metal-Organic Framework for Selective Photo-Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to Formic Acid Coupled with Water Oxidation

A Zr-based metal-organic framework has been synthesized and employed as a catalyst for photochemical carbon dioxide reduction coupled with water oxidation. The catalyst shows significant carbon dioxide reduction property with concomitant water oxidation. The catalyst has broad visible light as well as UV light absorption property, which is further confirmed from electronic absorption spectroscopy. Formic acid was the only reduced product from carbon dioxide with a turn-over frequency (TOF) of 0.69 h⁻¹ in addition to oxygen, which was produced with a TOF of 0.54 h⁻¹. No external photosensitizer is used and the ligand itself acts as the light harvester. The efficient and selective photochemical carbon dioxide reduction to formic acid with concomitant water oxidation using Zr-based MOF as catalyst is thus demonstrated here.     

Blends of poly(carbonate) with poly(styrene) and poly(methylmethacrylate): phase morphology,mechanical, and thermal properties

This paper is concerned with the dependence of mechanical and thermal properties of heterogeneous blends of poly(carbonate) (PC) with poly(methyl-methacrylate) (PMMA) and with poly(styrene) (PS) on the concentration of the components. PS displays a very weak phase coupling in blends with PC, whereas PMMA is characterized by a strong coupling to PC. Experimental results as well as predictions based on composite theories are reported. The general finding is that mechanical properties, such as the tensile modulus and the dynamic shear modulus, as well as thermal properties, such as thermal expansion, are (i) only weakly affected by the occurrence of a phase inversion and of a continuous phase morphology, (ii) vary continuously with the concentration of the components, and (iii) are rather insensitive to the strength of the phase coupling. The theoretical predictions on the concentration—property relationship for these properties, based on a self-consistent approach, agree very well with those observed experimentally. The elongation at break as well as the yield stress, on the other hand, are strongly influenced by the nature of the phase coupling: a discontinuous variation of these properties with the composition is observed for PS/PC blends but not for PMMA/PC blends. The general conclusion is that a set of mechanical and thermal properties of heterogeneous blends can satisfactorily be predicted on the basis of rather simple composite theories.     

A simple model for calorimeters with temperature programming

We present a theoretical study of an RC-model constituted only by one heat capacity and one coupling with the thermostat. It is assumed that the thermostat temperature varies as a function of time, and the heat capacity variation is due to its dependence either on temperature or on the mass exchange with the exterior.The results are parallel to the corresponding RC-models where the thermostat temperature is constant. The variations of sensibility are shown, as well as a criterion for the applicability of inverse filtering as a deconvolution technique in calorimeters with temperature programming.     

Design and synthesis of an Fmoc-SPPS-compatible amino acid building block mimicking the transition state of phosphohistidine phosphatase

The synthesis of a sulfonamide-based transition-state (TS) analogue of enzymatic phosphohistidine dephosphorylation as an amino acid building block is presented, together with the proof-of-concept of its incorporation into peptides. Key features include final global acidolytic protective group removal as well as full compatibility with standard Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS). The peptides are designed as inhibitors of phosphohistidine phosphatase and as a pull-down probe for identification of phosphohistidine phosphatases, respectively.