Continuous wave free precession: Practical analytical tool for low-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance measurements

The use of continuous wave free precession (CWFP) as a practical analytical tool for quantitative determinations in low-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (LRNMR) is examined. The requirements of this technique are shown to be no more demanding than those prevailing in free-induction decay or spin-echo measurements. It is shown that the substantial gain in signal to noise ratio for a given acquisition time permitted by CWFP, can be exploited with advantage in practically any application of LRNMR. This applies not only to homogeneous low viscosity liquid samples but also to multi-component systems where differences in relaxation times of each component permit a separation of the individual contributions. As an example, the use of CWFP for fast quantitative determination of oil and moisture in various seeds is presented.     

Fundamentals and applications of needle trap devices: A critical review

The needle trap device (NTD) is an extraction trap that contains a sorbent inside a small needle, through which fluid can be actively drawn into and out of by a gas-tight syringe or pump, or analytes can be introduced passively to the trap by diffusion. The needle trap (NT) is a potentially solventless sampling technique/sample preparation and introduction device. Both fluid-borne analytes and particles can be trapped inside the needle and then adsorbed analytes are desorbed in an inlet of analytical instrument and introduced for identification and quantification. The fluid may be either gaseous or liquid. The objectives of this critical review are to summarize the theory of the sampling process for both active and passive time-average extraction modes in addition to outlining the evolution of the technology and main applications.     

New hydrofluoropolyethers: I. Synthesis and reaction pathway evaluation

A novel family of hydrofluoropolyethers (HFPEs) was obtained with 60-80% selectivity by hydrogenation of perfluoropolyether acyl chlorides with Pt/CaF₂. These compounds are characterized by a macromeric fluorinated body end-capped, on one or both sides, by a (1,1-difluoro)ethoxy group. A reaction pathway for the reduction was proposed consistently with the observed yields and side products. The hemiacetal originated by reaction of the aldehyde (first product of reduction) with the corresponding alcohol was postulated to be the key precursor leading to the HFPE. The metal appears to play a fundamental role promoting the hydrogenolysis of this unexpected intermediate. Exhaustive reduction of the alcohol, generally recognized as the path affording hydrocarbons in the hydrogenation of acyl chlorides, was excluded by products analysis and by specific experiments.     

Glassy carbon paste electrodes modified with polyphenol oxidase: Analytical applications

The electrochemical behavior of a glassy carbon paste electrode (GCPE) is evaluated in comparison to that of graphite paste electrode (gPE) and glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Important shifting in the peak potentials and increases in the peak currents for catechol, ascorbic acid, dopamine and hydroquinone were obtained for the GCPE and its usefulness for the development of phenol and catechol biosensors was also evaluated. Both, pure mushroom polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and fresh mushroom tissues were used as biorecognition elements. The effect of the binder percentage in the composite material was also studied. The bioelectrode was used for the determination of dopamine and acetaminophen in pharmaceutical formulations and for the detection of polyphenols in wine and tea. The bioelectrode demonstrated to be very stable as the response remained around 90% after four months at 4 °C.     

MO-berechnungen an heterocyclen—VII : Tautomerieprobleme an substituierten 1,3,8-triazaindolizinen

The electronic spectra of some derivatives of 5-hydroxy-7-methyl-1,3,8-triazaindolizine have been calculated with the PPP-procedure. With the electronic spectra and heats of atomization the tautomeric structures of the compounds 6-ch]or-5-hydroxy-7-methyl-1,3,8-triazaindolizine, 6-brom-5-hydroxy-7-methyl-1,3,8-triazaindolizine, 6-carboxy-5-hydroxy-7-methyl-1,3,8-triazaindolizine, 2-carboxy-5-hydroxy-7-methyl-1,3,8-triazaindolizine, 2-mercapto-5-hydroxy-7-methyl-1,3,8-triazaind and 5-amino-7-methyl-1,3,8-triazaindolizine are discussed. The possible structures of the compounds 5-hydroxy-7-methyl-1,3,8-triazaindolizine, 5-hydroxy-7-methyl-1,2,8-triazaindolizine and 5-hydroxy-7-methyl-1,2,3,8-tetrazaindolizine depending on the pH-value of the solution have been investigated.     

Microcellular foams from polyethersulfone and polyphenylsulfone: Preparation and mechanical properties

Polymeric foams having microcellular structures were successfully prepared from some high-performance thermoplastics, specifically polyethersulfone and polyphenylsulfone. A two-stage batch foaming process was used and the resulting materials had average cell sizes in the range 2-13 μm, and cell densities the order of 10¹⁰-10¹¹ cells/cm³. The foam densities (relative to those of the unfoamed polymers) were in the range 0.90-0.35. Average cell sizes increased with foaming temperature and foaming time; on the other hand, cell densities and relative foam densities decreased slightly with foaming temperature but remained almost constant with foaming time. Experimental values of Young’s modulus in compression and the elastic collapse strength were higher than theoretically predicated at high relative densities, but the discrepancies became small at lower densities. In contrast, Young’s moduli in tension were in very good agreement with theory, but the relative strengths were somewhat lower than predicated.     

Analysis of polyethoxylated surfactants in microemulsion-oil-water systems: Part II

Commercial ethoxylated surfactants are always a mixture of oligomers with different ethylene oxide number (EON). The different oligomers were separated by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on an amino column using a mixture of polar and nonpolar mobile phases. Surfactant oil-water-systems were studied according to the unidimensional scan technique. The surfactant content in the oil, microemulsion and water phases was determined by UV spectroscopy and HPLC. The partitioning of the surfactant oligomers in the oil and water phases of a Winsor III system was determined. The effect of different salts on the surfactant partitioning is discussed.     

Nucleophilic trifluoromethylation: Some recent reagents and their stereoselective aspects

This review is a survey of several original reagents that have been designed, and are still under study, for nucleophilic trifluoromethylation. The starting materials were fluoral or trifluoroacetamides as well as trifluoromethanesulfinamides. Trifluoroacetamides or trifluoromethanesulfinamides derived from O-silylated-1,2-aminoalcohols constitute the most attractive family since they exhibit the larger scope and are able to trifluoromethylate enolizable as well as non-enolizable carbonyl substrates, even at room temperature when a substituent is present at the α-position relative to the nitrogen atom. Promising results have been obtained with some members of this family, concerning enantioselective trifluoromethylation of prochiral substrates.     

Crystallization in ultra-thin polymer films: Morphogenesis and thermodynamical aspects

We present a computer model for polymer crystallization in ultra-thin films where chains are considered as dynamical units. In our model chains can change their internal state of order by cooperative motions to improve thermodynamic stability. The interplay between reorganization, enthalpic interactions and the morphology of crystals enables us to explain many properties of growth, morphogenesis and melting of polymer lamellae. We emphasize the relation between the thermodynamic stability of non-equilibrium crystals and morphological features which are beyond the average thickness of the lamellae. In particular, we show that melting of polymers is preceded by reorganization processes and the stability of polymer crystals is not necessarily related to the structure formed at the crystallization point. The simulations allow for the determination of some non-equilibrium properties such as the internal energy and the non-equilibrium heat capacity. We show that multiple-peak melting endotherms result from morphological transformations. The results of our computer simulations are compared with AFM observations in ultra-thin polyethyleneoxide films.     

Thermodynamics of organic mixtures containing amines: V. Systems with pyridines

Binary mixtures containing pyridine (PY), or 2-methylpyridine (2MPY) or 3-methylpyridine (3MPY) or 4-methylpyridine (4MPY) and an organic solvent as benzene, toluene, alkane, or 1-alkanol are investigated in the framework of DISQUAC. The corresponding interaction parameters are reported. The model describes accurately a whole set of thermodynamic properties: vapor-liquid equilibria (VLE), liquid-liquid equilibria (LLE), solid-liquid equilibria (SLE), molar excess Gibbs energies (G^E), molar excess enthalpies, (H^E), molar excess heat capacities at constant pressure () and the concentration-concentration structure factor (S_CC(0)). It is remarkable that DISQUAC correctly predicts the W-shaped curve of the of the pyridine + n-hexadecane system. The model can be applied successfully to mixtures with strong positive or negative deviations from the Raoult's law. DISQUAC improves the theoretical results from UNIFAC (Dortmund version). The replacement of pyridine by a methylpyridine leads to a weakening of the amine-amine interactions, ascribed to the steric effect caused by the methyl group attached to the aromatic ring. This explains that for a given solvent (alkane, 1-alkanol) H^E(pyridine) > H^E(methylpyridine).     

Determination of fatty alcohol ethoxylates with diphenic anhydride derivatization and liquid chromatography with spectrophotometric detection: A comparative study with other anhydrides

A method for the determination of fatty alcohol ethoxylates (FAEs) using diphenic anhydride as derivatization reagent and RP-HPLC separation with UV–vis detection is presented and compared to derivatization with maleic, phthalic, and other cyclic anhydrides. With these anhydrides, the reaction rates increased when urea was added to the reaction medium, and the yields did not decrease when the samples contained moderate amounts of water. Gradient elution on a C8 column was performed with water/acetonitrile in the presence of 0.1% acetic acid. The use of diphenic anhydride was advantageous for both the chromatographic separation and the detection. Specifically, sensitivity at 200 and 220 nm was significantly better for the FAE diphenates, resulting in lower limits of detection at both wavelengths for the diphenates than for the maleates and phthalates (up to 30 and 4.3 times lower at 220 nm, respectively). Response factors for the diphenates decreased less than those of the phthalates when the number of ethylene oxide units, m, increased, reaching a constant value of ca. 0.62 when m > 3. Peak symmetries and efficiencies were also better than those found for the other anhydrides. The optimized procedure was applied to the characterization and determination of FAEs in the effluent of a wastewater treatment plant and in sea water.     

Thermodynamic study of sodium-iron oxides: Part I. mass spectrometric study of Na-Fe oxides

Vaporization behavior of Na₄FeO₃(s) was thermodynamically studied from 590 to 717 K by means of high temperature mass spectrometry. It was found that Na₄FeO₃(s) decomposed into Na₃FeO₃(s) and released sodium vapor. The temperature dependence of partial vapor pressure of sodium over Na₄FeO₃(s) was measured so that the Gibbs energy of formation of Na₃FeO₃(s) was evaluated as Δ_fG°(Na₃FeO₃)=−1168629+338.34×T.     

Treatment of turkeys with nitroimidazoles: Impact of the selection of target analytes and matrices on an effective residue control

In several animal studies turkeys were treated with different nitroimidazoles (Dimetridazole, Metronidazole, Ronidazole, Ipronidazole). After slaughtering, different matrices (breast muscle, leg muscle, liver, plasma, retina) were analysed for their analyte content, for the percentage of hydroxy-metabolites, for homogeneity, stability and bound, and conjugated residues. The tests showed that for animals treated with Dimetridazole and Ipronidazole, the hydroxy-metabolites (2-hydroxymethyl-1-methyl-5-nitroimidazole (HMMNI) and 1-methyl-2-(2′-hydroxyisopropyl)-5-nitroimidazole (IPZOH)) are the relevant target analytes, whereas for animals treated with Ronidazole and Metronidazole, the parent drug itself is the most relevant analyte. In muscle samples an inhomogeneous analyte distribution was found. Degradation studies showed a rapid decline of the analyte concentration in muscle and liver samples stored at room temperature and a decelerated degradation at 4 °C. In plasma and retina samples, however, the analytes were stable during storage under the same conditions. In these matrices the analytes were found to be present in considerably higher concentrations than in muscle or liver and could be detected for a longer period of time after withdrawal of the medication. Therefore, plasma or retina can be recommended as target matrices for the residue control of nitroimidazoles in turkeys.     

Boiling enthalpy from correlations: Results for 83 families of fluids

Ten analytical models were used to calculate the enthalpy of vaporization of fluids at the boiling temperature. The correlations considered were six specific expressions valid only at that temperature, and four general correlations valid for any temperature. Most of these models require as inputs the critical properties and the acentric factor, but one of the specific models requires only the molecular weight (and, obviously, the boiling temperature). One of the models is a correlation requiring a molecular Lennard-Jones parameter and the acentric factor as inputs. Results for 1591 polar and non-polar fluids, grouped into 83 families, are compared with the values given by the DIPPR project.