Tl-speciation of aqueous samples – a review of methods and application of IC-ICP-MS/LC-MS procedures for the detection of (CH3)2Tl+ and Tl+ in river water

This study provides an overview on Tl-speciation methods developed in the last years. Most of them require transformation of a species and do not allow direct detection of the species of interest. LC-MS and IC-ICP-MS methods are optimised for direct analysis of the Tl-species Tl⁺ and (CH₃)₂Tl⁺ (dimethylthallium (DMT)) in freshwater on a ng L^?1 level. The methods are applied in a study of water from Vicht River in Stolberg (Germany). Tl⁺ is shown to be at least in part derived from anthropogenic sources among which the industrial sources may be significant. The natural occurrence of DMT is proven, although this Tl-species is temporally variable in abundance and Tl⁺ predominates.     

A General Route to Homophthalic Acid Derivatives - Valuable Precursors to Isoquinolinones,Dihydronaphthols and Isocoumarins

Homophthalic acids, esters, and anhydrides are well documented starting materials for the construction of isoquino-linones,¹ isocoumarins² and dihydronaphthols.³ Several recent literature reports further emphasize the utility of homophthalates in the construction of linear polynuclear aromatic systems.⁴ While several methods are available for the synthesis of homophthalates,⁵ these lack the ease of execution and the versatility required to make them processes of general applicability.     

Reaction of α-Halo-Enones with Heterocyclic Bases. A Mild and Efficient Synthesis of Amino-Steroids

A number of steroids containing cyclic amino functions have been prepared and studied for biological activities, and some of them have proved to be clinically useful as a neuromuscular blocking agent, an antitumour agent, and so on.¹ As the conventional methods, the reactions of cyclic amines with halides² or epoxides,³ the reductive amination of ketones,⁴ and the reduction of enamines⁵ have been widely used for introducing these amino functions into steroid nucleus.     

Stereochemistry of the tin—carbon bond: I. Synthesis and characterization by 13C and 119Sn NMR of a series of exo- and endo-2-triorganostannylnorbornanes

A series of endo- and exo-2-triorganostannylnorbornanes have been synthesized by various methods, some of them leading to pure stereoisomers. The 2-triorganostannylnorbornanes have been characterized by their ¹³C and ¹¹⁹Sn NMR spectra.     

Oxidation with DMF/HIO4: A Convenient Preparation of Juglone

As part of an ongoing program directed toward the preparation of antraciclinones¹ and aryl substituted lapachones², which are important anticancer and antibiotic³ agents, we became interested in a efficient synthesis of substituted 1,4-naphthoquinones, such as juglone (3). This compound has received some attention due its activity as an allelophatic compound⁴. An extensive analysis of the literature procedures indicated that several methods are available starting from 1,5-dihydroxynaphthalene (1). All the procedures explored the oxidation of carbon four of the naphthyl ring by several known reagents, such as, chromium trioxide-piridine⁵, thallium trinitrate⁵, chromic acid⁶, peracetic acid⁷, dichromate⁸, iron (III) chloride⁹ and mercuric oxide¹⁰. None of the several known methods for the preparation of (3) proceeded in satisfactory yield (except for the thallium trinitrate method which gave 642 yield) and most of them gave a mixture of 1,2 and 1,4-naphthoquinone.     

Ionic Liquids [M3+][A−]3 with Three-Valent Cations and Their Possible Use to Easily Separate Rare Earth Metals

We introduce a simple way to liquify rare earth metals (REM) by incorporating the corresponding cations, in particular Eu³⁺, La³⁺, and Y³⁺, into polyvalent ionic liquids (ILs). In contrast to conventional methods, this is achieved not by transforming them into anionic complexes, but by keeping them as bare cations and combining them with convenient, cheap and commercially available anions (A) in the form [REM³⁺][A ⁻ ]₃. To do so, we follow the COncept of Melting Point Lowering due to EThoxylation (COMPLET) with alkyl polyethylene oxide carboxylates as anions. We provide basic properties, such as glass transition temperatures, viscosities, electrical conductivities, as well as water-octanol partition constants P and show that these ILs have remarkably different properties, despite the similarity of their cations. In addition, we show that the ionic liquids possess interesting luminescent properties as non-conventional fluorophores.     

Preparation of radioactive rare earth targets for neutron capture study

Summary The neutron capture behavior of certain radioactive rare earth nuclides, among them ¹⁷¹Tm and ¹⁵¹Sm, is of interest for astrophysical reasons and for the interpretation of radiochemical data from underground nuclear tests. In order to measure neutron capture excitation functions for these radionuclides, targets were produced that met stringent requirements. This paper describes the purification chemistry and target preparation methods that were employed in order to deliver appropriate samples for study.     

Application of mercury isotopes and their production

Mercury isotopes are now broadly applied in various fields of science and technology. They are used in medicine, nuclear physics investigations, RF standards, nuclear gyroscopes, mercury analysing devices etc. One of the most promising applications is the use of weakly enriched (up to 3%) isotope¹⁹⁶Hg in fluorescent lamps for enhancing their light efficiency. Besides, the application of²⁰¹Hg and²⁰²Hg as the target material for the production at low-energy cyclotrons of one of the most consumed²⁰¹Tl isotope in medicine seems to be perspective. Various methods were proposed and examined for the separation of mercury isotopes. There are: electromagnetic, photochemical, centrifugal, laser, photoionizing method etc. But only two of them were effective for the mercury isotope separation: electromagnetic and photochemical ones. This paper presents a review of the experimental results on separation of various mercury isotopes by different methods.     

Determination of selenium in biological materials by means of RNAA and comparison of spectrophotometric and81mSe radiotracer recovery

Two methods for chemical yield measurement of Se in biological samples after radiochemical neutron activation analysis when using the⁷⁵Se nuclide are described, namely a Spectrophotometric technique and a radiotracer technique employing^81mSe. These two approaches were compared and evaluated by applying them to the analysis of Se in various certified reference materials.     

Mediated electrochemical synthesis of copper nanoparticles in solution

Environmentally friendly mediated electrochemical synthesis of copper nanoparticles in the solution using a copper anode as a source of copper ions has been realized for the first time. It is shown that at the potential of the redox pair MV²⁺/MV?⁺ methylviologen MV²⁺ is able to mediate a reduction of Cu²⁺ ions in 60% aqueous DMF/0.1 M Bu₄NBF₄. Copper nanoparticles build large aggregates (200—250 nm) in the absence of a stabilizer. The use of polyvinylpyrrolidone as a stabilizer makes it possible to obtain smaller copper nanoparticles (20—50 nm) of spherical and oval shape and to characterize them by physicochemical methods.     

Fluorophore-labeled Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) Dendritic Architectures: Synthesis and Fluorescence Sensing Properties

Novel polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers (G=0.5–2.5) with a naphthalene core unit have been prepared. They were found to display acid as well as metal ion sensitive fluorescence signal amplification, making them of potential use as chemosensing materials. PAMAM dendritic wedges as well as naphthalene-centered PAMAM dendrimers were characterized by FT-IR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopic methods and elemental analysis.     

2-BENZAZEPINES III1, 2 IMPROVED SYNTHESIS OF 2, 3, 4, 5-TETRAHYDRO-2-BENZAZEPIN-1-ONE

3-Methylfuran is an important building block of terpenoid compounds¹⁾ and some of these compounds are biologically active, for example as a defence substance of animal.²⁾ Though many methods have been developed for the syntheses of 3-substituted furan derivatives,³⁾ most of them lack the generality as a synthetic method of (3-furanyl) methyl derivative. Tannis has recently reported the construction of 3-substituted furan derivative by using 3-(lithiomethyl) furan or 3-(chloromagnesium methyl) furan, and demonstrated the generality of his method.⁴⁾     

Conformational effects in compounds with 6-membered rings—XII : The conformational equilibrium in n-methylpiperidine

The conformational equilibrium at nitrogen in N-methylpiperidines has been determined in the gas phase (ΔG°₂₈₈ ? 13.2 ± 0.4 kJ mol^?1) and for dilute solutions in several solvents (ΔG°₂₉₃ ranging from 12.5 ± 0.4 in dodecane to 10.1 ± 0.4 in chloroform) by kinetically controlled protonation of anancomeric model compounds 6 and 8 at the interface between the pipendine-containing phase and an immiscible strong acid. The conformational energy for N-methylpiperidine determined by this method is strikingly higher than earlier estimates based on less direct methods but is supported by independent evidence from the temperature dependence of ¹³C NMR chemical shifts. Reconsideration of the more important of the earlier methods indicates that these involved invalid or unproven assumptions and that the low values of ΔG° for N-methylpiperidine derived from them are not reliable.     

A Convenient Procedure for the Hydrolysis of Hindered Esters

Although several procedures for the hydrolysis of hindered esters have been developed, most of them suffer from one or more disadvantages, either in lack of convenience or in stringent conditions which affect other functional groups. Among the presently available methods for effecting this conversion are lithium in ammonia, a strong reducing agent¹; boron trichloride, a Lewis acid²; and a variety of reagents which bring about alkyl-oxygen cleavage. Among the latter are lithium iodide in a variety of solvents, usually at elevated temperatures, or in the presence of an organic base³; 1,5-diazabicyclo [4, 3, 0] nonene-5, in boiling xylene⁴, a reaction which failed in this laboratory⁵; various mercaptides^6,7, which in addition to being experimentally offensive, also cleave aryl alkyl ethers.     

Kinetic 12C/13C isotope fractionation by invertase: evidence for a small in vitro isotope effect and comparison of two techniques for the isotopic analysis of carbohydrates

The natural ¹³C/¹²C isotope composition (δ¹³C) of plants and organic compounds within plant organs is a powerful tool to understand carbon allocation patterns and the regulation of photosynthetic or respiratory metabolism. However, many enzymatic fractionations are currently unknown, thus impeding our understanding of carbon trafficking pathways within plant cells. One of them is the ¹²C/¹³C isotope effect associated with invertases (EC 3.2.1.26) that are cornerstone enzymes for Suc metabolism and translocation in plants. Another conundrum of isotopic plant biology is the need to measure accurately the specific δ¹³C of individual carbohydrates. Here, we examined two complementary methods for measuring the δ¹³C value of sucrose, glucose and fructose, that is, off‐line high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) purification followed by elemental analysis and isotope ratio mass spectrometry (EA‐IRMS) analysis, and gas chromatography‐combustion (GC‐C)‐IRMS. We also used these methods to determine the in vitro ¹²C/¹³C isotope effect associated with the yeast invertase. Our results show that, although providing more variable values than HPLC～EA‐IRMS, and being sensitive to derivatization conditions, the GC‐C‐IRMS method gives reliable results. When applied to the invertase reaction, both methods indicate that the ¹²C/¹³C isotope effect is rather small and it is not affected by the use of heavy water (D₂O). Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparative kinetic study of the non-isothermal thermal curing of <Emphasis Type="Italic">bis</Emphasis>-GMA/TEGDMA systems

The thermal polymerization kinetics of dimethacrylate monomers was studied by differential calorimetry using non-isothermal experiments. The kinetic analysis compared the following procedures: isoconversional method (model-free method), reduced master curves, the isokinetic relationship (IKR), the invariant kinetic parameters (IKP) method, the Coats-Redfern method and composite integral method I. Although the study focused on the integral methods, we compared them to differential methods. We saw that even relatively complex processes (in which the variations in the kinetic parameters were only slight) can be described reasonably well using a single kinetic model, so long as the mean value of the activation energy is known (E). It is also shown the usefulness of isoconversional kinetic methods, which provide with reliable kinetic information suitable for adequately choosing the kinetic model which best describes the curing process. For the system studied, we obtained the following kinetic triplet: f(α)=α^0.6(1−α)^2.4, E=120.9 kJ mol⁻¹ and lnA=38.28 min⁻¹.     

Studies on the stability and stabilization of trans-cyclooctenes through radical inhibition and silver (I) metal complexation

Conformationally strained trans-cyclooctenes (TCOs) engage in bioorthogonal reactions with tetrazines with second order rate constants that can exceed 10⁶ M^?1s^?1. The goal of this study was to provide insight into the stability of TCO reagents and to develop methods for stabilizing TCO reagents for long-term storage. The radical inhibitor Trolox suppresses TCO isomerization under high thiol concentrations and TCO shelf-life can be greatly extended by protecting them as stable Ag(I) metal complexes. ¹H NMR studies show that Ag-complexation is thermodynamically favorable but the kinetics of dissociation are very rapid, and TCO?AgNO₃ complexes are immediately dissociated upon addition of NaCl which is present in high concentration in cell media. The AgNO₃ complex of a highly reactive s-TCO-TAMRA conjugate was shown to label a protein-tetrazine conjugate in live cells with faster kinetics and similar labeling yield relative to a ‘traditional’ TCO-TAMRA conjugate.     

On the calibration of continuous,high‐precision δ18O and δ2H measurements using an off‐axis integrated cavity output spectrometer

The ¹⁸O and ²H of water vapor serve as powerful tracers of hydrological processes. The typical method for determining water vapor δ¹⁸O and δ²H involves cryogenic trapping and isotope ratio mass spectrometry. Even with recent technical advances, these methods cannot resolve vapor composition at high temporal resolutions. In recent years, a few groups have developed continuous laser absorption spectroscopy (LAS) approaches for measuring δ¹⁸O and δ²H which achieve accuracy levels similar to those of lab‐based mass spectrometry methods. Unfortunately, most LAS systems need cryogenic cooling and constant calibration to a reference gas, and have substantial power requirements, making them unsuitable for long‐term field deployment at remote field sites. A new method called Off‐Axis Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy (OA‐ICOS) has been developed which requires extremely low‐energy consumption and neither reference gas nor cryogenic cooling. In this report, we develop a relatively simple pumping system coupled to a dew point generator to calibrate an ICOS‐based instrument (Los Gatos Research Water Vapor Isotope Analyzer (WVIA) DLT‐100) under various pressures using liquid water with known isotopic signatures. Results show that the WVIA can be successfully calibrated using this customized system for different pressure settings, which ensure that this instrument can be combined with other gas‐sampling systems. The precisions of this instrument and the associated calibration method can reach ～0.08‰ for δ¹⁸O and ～0.4‰ for δ²H. Compared with conventional mass spectrometry and other LAS‐based methods, the OA‐ICOS technique provides a promising alternative tool for continuous water vapor isotopic measurements in field deployments. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.