Dispersive anisotropic ballistic phonon propagation in [100] GaAs

We report experimental observations of the phonon focusing pattern in [100] GaAs using low temperature electron beam scanning for phonon generation. The typical dispersive effects for high-frequency phonons expected from the calculations by Tamura have clearly been observed using PbIn tunnel junctions for phonon detection. The quantitative comparison of our experimental results with the frequency dependent calculations by Tamura allowed to determine the dominant phonon frequencies contributing to the detector signal in our different experiments. Above the temperature of the -point the dominant phonon frequencies appear to be shifted considerably to lower values, which could be explained by a heating effect in the liquid-He layer adjacent to the tunnel junction detector. By comparing the observed magnitude of the detector signal with different theoretical treatments of the detector response, we have found satisfactory agreement for a model where the perturbation due to the high-frequency phonons is restricted to the base electrode of the detector reached first by the phonons following their passage through the crystal.     

Accuracy and long-term reproducibility of lead isotopic measurements by multiple-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry using an external method for correction of mass discrimination

The precision of isotopic measurements of Pb by thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) is limited by the fact that this element does not possess an invariant isotope ratio that can be used for the correction of mass fractionation by internal normalization. Multiple-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS) can overcome this limitation, because with plasma ionization, elements with overlapping mass ranges are thought to display identical mass discrimination. With respect to Pb, this can be exploited by the addition of Tl to the sample solutions; the mass discrimination factor obtained for Tl can then be used for the correction of the measured Pb isotope ratios. In this article we present the results of a detailed study that investigates the accuracy and precision of such an external correction technique for mass discrimination based upon the results of multiple analyses of a mixed standard solution of NIST SRM-981 Pb and SRM-997 Tl. Our data indicate that normalization of the Pb isotope ratios to the certified isotopic composition of SRM-997 Tl produces Pb isotopic results that are significantly lower than recently published reference values by TIMS. This systematic offset can be eliminated by renormalization of the Pb data to a different Tl isotopic composition to obtain an empirically determined mass discrimination factor for Pb that generates accurate results. It is furthermore shown that a linear law is least suited for the correction of mass discrimination, whereas a power or exponential law function provide significantly more accurate and precise results. In detail, it appears that a power law may provide the most appropriate correction procedure, because the corrected Pb isotope ratios display less residual correlations with mass discrimination compared to the exponentially corrected data. Using an exponential or power law correction our results, obtained over a period of over seven months, display a precision (2σ) of better than 60 parts per million (ppm) for ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁶Pb and ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb and of better than 350 ppm for ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb. This represents a significant improvement compared to conventional TIMS techniques and demonstrates the potential of MC-ICPMS for routine, high-precision measurements of Pb isotopic compositions.     

High-throughput purification of combinatorial libraries I: a high-throughput purification system using an accelerated retention window approach

We have developed a high-throughput purification system to purify combinatorial libraries at a 50-100-mg scale with a throughput of 250 samples/instrument/day. We applied an accelerated retention window method to shorten the purification time and targeted one fraction per injection to simplify data tracking, lower QC workload, and simplify the postpurification processing. First, we determined the accurate retention time and peak height for all compounds using an eight-channel parallel LC/UV/MS system, and calculated the specific preparative HPLC conditions for individual compounds. The preparative HPLC conditions include the compound-specific gradient segment for individual compounds with a fixed gradient slope and the compound-specific UV or ELSD threshold for triggering a fraction collection device. A unique solvent composition or solvent strength was programmed for each compound in the preparative HPLC in order to elute all compounds at the same target time. Considering the possible deviation of the predicted retention time, a 1-min window around the target time was set to collect peaks above a threshold based on UV or ELSD detection. Dual column preparative instruments were used to maximize throughput. We have purified more than 500 000 druglike compounds using this system in the past 3 years. We report various components of this high-throughput purification system and some of our purification results.     

A convenient two-step synthesis of 6-methylenesubstituted-4-trichloromethyl-2-methylsulfanyl pyrimidines

This work reports a two-step synthetic strategy to obtain a series of 6-methylenesubstituted-4-trichloromethyl-2-methylsulfanylpyrimidines from the cyclization of 5-bromo-4-methoxy-1,1,1-trichloro-pent-3-en-2-ones with 2-methyl-2-pseudothiourea sulfate, followed by nucleophilic substitution of 6-bromomethyl-4-trichloromethyl-2-methylsulfanylpyrimidine with a series of nucleophiles. Alternative strategies to obtain 6-halomethyl-4-trichloro[fluoro]methyl-2-methylsulfanyl pyrimidines have been addressed.     

Electrostatics of phosphatidic acid monolayers: Insights from computer simulations

In this paper, we argue that many of the fascinating electrostatic effects that take place in amphiphilic systems are strongly related to the particular organization of the oxygen atoms within each individual molecule. In particular, we focus on two effects: charge inversion and dielectric overscreening. For that purpose, we present molecular dynamics simulations of phosphatidic acid (DMPA²⁻) in the presence of divalent counterions. Our results show that the many oxygens present in DMPA²⁻ cooperatively create strong binding sites for counterions, which in some cases lead to charge inversion. We also present an analysis of the role of interfacial water and relate our analysis to the phenomenon of dielectric overscreening. Several experimental implications are discussed in the conclusions.