Characterization of low molecular weight hydrocarbon oligomers by laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry using a solvent-free sample preparation method.

A new solvent-free sample preparation method using silver trifluoroacetate (AgTFA) was developed for the analysis of low molecular weight paraffins and microcrystalline waxes by laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LDI-TOFMS). Experiments show that spectral quality can be enhanced by dispersing AgTFA directly in liquid paraffins without the use of additional solvents. This preparation mixture is applied directly to the MALDI probe. Solid waxes could be examined by melting prior to analysis. The method also provides sufficiently reproducible spectra that peak area ratios between mono- and bicyclic alkane peaks indicated variations in the cycloalkane content of paraffin samples. Dehydrogenation of hydrocarbons observed during the desorption/ionization process was studied by analysis of alkane standards.     

Design of neutral, mono- or di-cationic water-soluble trihydrazidophosphoradamantanes

The versatile behavior of a trihydrazidophosphoradamantane allowing the synthesis of a variety of neutral, mono- or di-cationic water-soluble molecules of potential interest for biphasic catalysis is reported.     

IFS attractors and Cantor sets

We build a metric space which is homeomorphic to a Cantor set but cannot be realized as the attractor of an iterated function system. We give also an example of a Cantor set K in R³ such that every homeomorphism f of R³ which preserves K coincides with the identity on K.     

Integral Inequalities and Global Solutions of Semilinear Evolution Equations

A criterion for the nonexplosion of solutions to semilinear evolution equations on Banach spaces is proved. The result is obtained by applying a modification of the Bihari type inequality to the case of a weakly singular nonlinear integral inequality.     

Asymptotic Analysis of the Current-Voltage Curve of a pnpn Semiconductor Device

We consider the one-dimensional steady-state semiconductor deviceequations modelling a pnpn device. There are two relevant scalingsof the equations corresponding to small and large applied voltages.In both scalings, the semiconductor equations can be consideredas singularly perturbed. It turns out that the small-voltagescaling breaks down for current values between two saturationcurrents. In that interval, the large-voltage scaling has tobe employed. For both scalings, we derive the first-order termsof an asymptotic expansion and show that the reduced problemhas a solution. An example verifies that the current-voltagecurves obtained have the expected qualitative structure.     

T-x-y diagram of the Ni-Bi-Se system

Some polythermal sections of the Ni-Bi-Se system have been investigated by DTA, X-ray powder diffraction, microstructural analysis, and microhardness measurements. The liquidus surface has been constructed for this system. The compounds NiBi₂Se₄ and Ni₃Bi₂Se₂ are formed by dystectic reactions and melt at 1088 and 980 K, respectively. The regions of primary and joint phase crystallization have been determined. A commutation of Bi₂Se₃-based thermoelements with a metal nickel bus-bar has been proposed.     

On the Embedding of Ordered Semigroups into Ordered Group

It was shown in [7] that any right reversible, cancellative ordered semigroup can be embedded into an ordered group and as a consequence, it was shown that a commutative ordered semigroup can be embedded into an ordered group if and only if it is cancellative. In this paper we introduce the concept of L-maher and R-maher semigroups and use a technique similar to that used in [7] to show that any left reversible cancellative ordered L or R-maher semigroup can be embedded into an ordered group.     

Silver(I)-selective coated-wire electrode based on an octahydroxycalix[4]arene derivative.

The performance of octahydroxycalix[4]arene derivative used as a neutral carrier for silver polymeric membrane electrode was studied. The sensor gave a good Nernstian response of 58 +/- 1 mV per decade for silver ion in the activity range 3.3 x 10(-6) to 3.3 x 10(-2) M Ag+. The limit of detection reached 2.1 x 10(-6) M Ag+ and exhibited high selectivity for silver ion against the alkali, alkaline earth and transition metal ions. The sensor can be used in wide pH range from 1.5 to 6.5. The response time of the sensor is less than 20 s. The potentiometric sensor was used as the indicator electrode in the titration of Ag+ ions by sodium chloride solution.     

Recent advances in the analysis of steroid hormones and related drugs.

The development during the last 15 years and the state-of-the-art in the analysis of bulk steroid hormone drugs and hormone-like structures and pharmaceutical formulations made thereof are summarized. Other steroids (sterols, bile acids, cardiac glycosides, vitamins D) as well as biological-clinical aspects and pharmacokinetic and metabolic studies are excluded from this review. The state-of-the-art is summarized based on comparisons of monographs in the latest editions of the European Pharmacopoeia, United States Pharmacopoeia and the Japanese Pharmacopoeia. This is followed by sections dealing with new developments in the methodology for the fields of spectroscopic and spectrophotometric, chromatographic, electrophoretic and hyphenated techniques as well electroanalytical methods. The review is terminated by two problem-oriented sections: examples on impurity and degradation profiling as well as enantiomeric analysis.