Crystal and molecular structure of crenatine carbonate

The crystal and molecular structure of 1-ethyl-4-methoxy-9H-pyrido[3,4b]indole (crenatine) carbonate C₁₄H₁₄N₂O·H₂CO₃, (MS, m/z 226)M _R 288.3, a-carboline alkaloid, has been determined from X-ray diffraction data. The compound crystallizes in the space group Pbca with cell parameters:a=11.616(4),b=18.450(8),c=12.992(5)Å,V=2784(2)ų,Z=8,D _calc=1.375 g cm^–3, (MoK)=0.71069Å,(Mo K)=0.94 cm^–1,F(000)=1216,R/R _w =8.2/10.3% for 1099 reflections. The ring system of the-carboline nucleus is planar. The title compound shows a two center hydrogen bond between the indole N-H group and the oxygen atom of a carbonate group. The structure does not display hydrogen bonding between-carboline groups but rather a bonding network involving the carbonate group.     

Nonlinear dynamics of confined polymer melts with attractive walls

A scaling model is presented to analyze the reversible strain-hardening phenomenon in end-tethered polymer clay nanocomposites (Krishnamoorti, R.; Giannelis, E. P. Langmuir 2001, 17, 1448). It is assumed that for attractive clay-polymer interactions a fraction of the polymer chains that span the space between opposite clay plates get adsorbed on them, thereby bridging the plates. Under large amplitude oscillatory shear, such bridges are stretched, and this results in the strain-hardening behavior. The onset of strain hardening is predicted to be dependent only on the average distance separating the two plates and is independent of the frequency of the oscillations and the polymer molecular weight.     

Electronic detection of the enzymatic degradation of starch

[reaction: see text] The enzymatic degradation of starch can be monitored electronically using single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) as semiconducting probes in field-effect transistors (FETs). Incubation of these devices in aqueous buffer solutions of amyloglucosidase (AMG) results in the removal of the starch from both the silicon surfaces and the side walls of the SWNTs in the FETs, as evidenced by direct imaging and electronic measurements.     

2,4,6-Trichloro-1,3,5-triazine catalyzed synthesis of thiiranes from oxiranes under solvent-free and mild conditions

A simple, mild and efficient method has been developed for the synthesis of thiiranes from epoxides using a catalytic amount of 2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine under solvent-free conditions.     

Spectrographic estimation of Ga, In and Tl in semiconductor grade selenium

Summary An emission spectrographic method for the estimation of Ga, In and Tl in semiconductor grade selenium at less than a ppm concentration has been developed. The impurities were separated from 1 g of selenium by volatilizing it from its solution in nitric acid and sulphuric acid. The residue containing the impurities was dissolved in small amounts of 6 M HCl and was loaded along with the washings on 10 mg mixture containing graphite (90%) and sodium chloride carrier (10%) in the electrode crater. The spectra were excited in a d.c. arc carrying 13 A current. The detection limits lie in the range of 0.0025–0.005 ppm. The precision of the method ranges from 7–12% for these elements. The recoveries of impurities from selenium were confirmed using radioactive tracers.

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Spektrographische Bestimmung von Gallium, Indium und Thallium in Halbleiterselen

Zusammenfassung Eine 1 g-Probe wird in Salpeter- und Schwefelsäure gelöst und die Verunreinigungen durch Verflüchtigung des Selens isoliert. Sie werden in 6 M HCl gelöst und zusammen mit einem Graphit/NaCl-Gemisch (91) in die Elektrode eingebracht. Zur Anregung dient ein Gleichstrombogen (13 A). Die Nachweisgrenzen liegen im Bereich von 0.0025–0.005 ppm, der Variationskoeffizient bei 7–12%. Die Wiedergewinnung der Verunreinigungen wurde mit Hilfe von Radioindicatoren geprüft.

     

The210Pb and137Cs profiles in sediment cores from Bay of Quinte,Lake Ontario

²¹⁰Pb,²²⁶Ra and¹³⁷Cs profiles have been measured for sediment cores from three locations in Bay of Quinte, Lake Ontario, Canada. Compaction of the sediment with depth of burial is taken into account in calculating recent sedimentation rates and age profiles at these locations from the excess²¹⁰Pb profiles. The rates are 1.803+0.592 cm·y^–1 (0.254±0.083 g·cm^–2·y^–1), 0.101±0.017 cm·y^–1 (0.036+0.006 g·cm^–2·y^–1), and 0.795±0.218 cm·y^–1 (0.076±0.021 g·cm^–2·y^–1). The corresponding fluxes of excess²¹⁰Pb to sediment/water interface are determined to be 1.652, 0.253, and 1.123 pCi·cm^–2·y^–1, respectively. The anomalies observed in the radionuclide concentration profiles are attributed to physical mixing. It is postulated that the significantly higher flux of²¹⁰Pb observed at one of the locations is due to inputs from Trent River which joins the Bay near this location.     

Piperaceae alkaloids: Part IV. Structure and Synthesis of Cyclostachine A,Cyclostachine B and Cyclopiperstachine

Three new alkaloids designated as cyclostachine A (2), cyclostachine B (7) and cyclopiperstachine (10) have been isolated from Piper trichostachyon C. DC. Their structures have been derived on the basis of spectral and degradative studies and confirmed by synthesis. The ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR. spectra of these compounds are discussed.     

The Extracts of Polygonum cuspidatum Root and Rhizome Block the Entry of SARS-CoV-2 Wild-Type and Omicron Pseudotyped Viruses via Inhibition of the S-Protein and 3CL Protease

COVID-19, resulting from infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, caused a contagious pandemic. Even with the current vaccines, there is still an urgent need to develop effective pharmacological treatments against this deadly disease. Here, we show that the water and ethanol extracts of the root and rhizome of Polygonum cuspidatum (Polygoni Cuspidati Rhizoma et Radix), a common Chinese herbal medicine, blocked the entry of wild-type and the omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped virus into fibroblasts or zebrafish larvae, with IC₅₀ values ranging from 0.015 to 0.04 mg/mL. The extracts were shown to inhibit various aspects of the pseudovirus entry, including the interaction between the spike protein (S-protein) and the angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE2) receptor, and the 3CL protease activity. Out of the chemical compounds tested in this report, gallic acid, a phytochemical in P. cuspidatum, was shown to have a significant anti-viral effect. Therefore, this might be responsible, at least in part, for the anti-viral efficacy of the herbal extract. Together, our data suggest that the extracts of P. cuspidatum inhibit the entry of wild-type and the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, and so they could be considered as potent treatments against COVID-19.     

Role of microcrystals in the growth and development of prism faces of cultured quartz (II.) Detached microcrystals

Results of microtopographical investigations on prism faces of cultured quartz crystals grown by hydrothermal crystallization techniques, undertaken with a view to determine the influence of microcrystals which get attached to the growing host prism face and then get detached, at some stage of growth, from or still remain attached to the host face, with special reference to the role played by them in the growth and development of host prism faces in particular and the quartz crystals in general, are discussed. The study is an extension of, and obviously to be dealt in continuation with, the earlier one (Part-I, see JOSHI , KOTRU ). Polygonal cavities of various shapes and structures observed on the prism faces are described. Mechanism of formation of the polygonal cavities is explained. Also described are pyramidal depressions, striations, growth hillocks, and etch pits within the cavities on the growing host prism faces. Some of the observed structures within the cavities are attributed to the imprints of the surface structures on the faces of detached microcrystals of quartz. Evidence of growth within the cavities is offered and the implications of such a growth are discussed. Evidence of micro-etching in the cavities is suggestive of the possibilities of some of the grown cultured quartz crystals to get etched in the autoclave. Two different suggestions are made for the interpretation of the origin of etch pits within the cavities, and there is support for the view that they are as a result of etching, only at a time when the supply quartz gets exhausted, of some of the grown crystals where the growing chamber is the hottest.