Air handling in clean laboratory environments: the reason for anomalously high boron background levels

The isotopic analysis of boron from material that carries only trace amounts of boron requires low boron blank levels. Large efforts are taken to keep blank levels low by purifying reagents. We performed exposure experiments and determined procedure blanks before and after the air-handling system was modified from silicate glass filters to polyethylene/polystyrole and active carbon filters. Our investigations demonstrate that the air-handling system may be the major source of boron blank in many laboratories, as the widely used silicate glass filters, which contain boron as a major component, in the form of borax and boric acid, release significant amounts of boron to the air.     

Zwei metallreiche Phosphide – Die Kristallstrukturen von Mg8Ir23P8 und Mg13Pt26P10

Two Metal‐rich Phosphides – The Crystal Structures of Mg₈Ir₂₃P₈ and Mg₁₃Pt₂₆P₁₀ Mg₈Ir₂₃P₈ (a = 8.586(4), b = 16.998(7), c = 3.959(2) Å) and Mg₁₃Pt₂₆P₁₀ (a = 8.834(2), b = 21.154(4), c = 4.074(1) Å) crystallize in new structure types (Pbam, Z = 1), which were determined by single crystal methods. In the Ir compound four of seven crystallographically different Ir atoms build up cuboctahedra centered by other Ir atoms. The cuboctahedra are connected with each other via common faces to strands along [001] and they are linked with Ir₅ square pyramids centered by P atoms to a three‐dimensional network, in which some of the Ir atoms are part of both polyhedra. The Mg atoms are situated in the holes of the network coordinated by 14 nearest neighbours. The structure of Mg₁₃Pt₂₆P₁₀ is quite similar and contains cuboctahedra too, but they are formed by both kinds of metal atoms building two different polyhedra. The first type is centered by Pt atoms, whereas the centers of the other one are occupied by Mg atoms and P₂ dumb‐bells with a statistical distribution. The cuboctahedra are linked with each other via common faces along [001] and edges along [100] and they are connected with Pt₅ square pyramids centered by P atoms in a similar fashion like in Mg₈Ir₂₃P₈.     

Thermal Reaction of Azulene-1-carbaldehydes with Dimethyl Acetylenedicarboxylate

Azulene-1-carbaldehydes which have Me substituents at C(3) and C(8) and no substituent at C(6) react with excess dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (ADM) in decalin at 200° to yield exclusively the Diels-Alder adduct at the seven-membered ring (cf. Scheme 3). The corresponding 1-carboxylates behave similarly (Scheme 4). Azulene-1-carbaldehydes which possess no Me substituent at C(8) (e.g. 11 , 12 in Scheme 2) gave no defined products when heated with ADM in decalin. On the other hand, Me substitutents at C(2) may also assist the thermal addition of ADM at the seven-membered ring of azulene-1-carbaldehydes (Scheme 6). However, in these cases the primary tricyclic adducts react with a second molecule of ADM to yield corresponding tetracyclic compounds. The new tricyclic aldehydes 16 and 17 which were obtained in up to 50% yield (Scheme 3) could quantitatively be decarbonylated with [RhCl(PPh₃)₃] in toluene at 140° to yield a thermally equilibrated mixture of four tricycles (Scheme 8). It was found that the thermal isomerization of these tricycles occur at temperatures as low as 0° and that at temperatures > 40° the thermal equilibrium between the four tricycles is rapidly established via [1,5]-C shifts. The establishment of the equilibrium makes the existence of two further tricycles necessary (cf. Scheme 8). However, in the temperature range of up to 85° these two further tricycles could not be detected by ¹H-NMR. When heated in the presence of excess ADM in decalin at 180°, the ‘missing’ tricyclic forms could be evidenced by their tetracyclic trapping products ‘anti’- 45 and ‘anti’- 48 , respectively (Scheme 9).     

Pretreatment of corn stover using wet oxidation to enhance enzymatic digestibility

Corn stover is an abundant, promising raw material for fuel ethanol production. Although it has a high cellulose content, without pretreatment it resists enzymatic hydrolysis, like most lignocellulosic materials. Wet oxidation (water, oxygen, mild alkali or acid, elevated temperature and pressure) was investigated to enhance the enzymatic digestibility of corn stover. Six different combinations of reaction temperature, time, and pH were applied. The best conditions (60g/L of corn stover, 195°C, 15 min, 12 bar O₂, 2 g/L of Na₂CO₃) increased the enzymatic conversion of corn stover four times, compared to untreated material. Under these conditions 60% of hemicellulose and 30% of lignin were solubilized, whereas 90% of cellulose remained in the solid fraction. After 24-h hydrolysis at 50°C using 25 filter paper units (FPU)/g of dry matter (DM) biomass, the achieved conversion of cellulose to glucose was about 85%. Decreasing the hydrolysis temperature to 40°C increased hydrolysis time from 24 to 72 h. Decreasing the enzyme loading to 5 FPU/g of DM biomass slightly decreased the enzymatic conversion from 83.4 to 71%. Thus, enzyme loading can be reduced without significantly affecting the efficiency of hydrolysis, an important economical aspect.     

Oxygen analogues of the benzodiazepine alkaloids sclerotigenin and circumdatin F

A new type of fused oxazepinones 9a and 9b , which are analogues of sclerotigenin and circumdatin F, were obtained in a two step synthesis from 2‐(2‐amino‐benzoylamino)‐benzoic acid or the corresponding methyl ester. Secondly a new synthesis of circumdatin F arose from this work, where 2‐(2‐propionylamino‐benzoylamino)‐benzoic acid methyl ester was used as an intermediate.     

Analysis of Chlormequat residues in grain using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)

A fast, sensitive and specific method for routine determination of residues from Chlormequat (CAS no. 7003-89-6) is described. The method is based on a simple clean-up using an SPE-C₁₈ cartridge, high-performance liquid chromatography on a standard C₁₈ column (Spherisorb S5 ODS1) and specific detection and quantification by electrospray mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). ¹³C-Chlormequat was synthesised for use as internal standard. Samples were extracted with methanol – water – acetic acid. Internal standard and ammonium acetate were added before C₁₈-cartridge clean up and residues eluted with methanol – water – acetic acid, containing 50 mM ammonium acetate. Chromatographic separation was achieved using a solvent composed of acetonitrile – methanol – water – acetic acid (53:21:25:1 by volume), containing 50 mM ammonium acetate. Electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry was employed using m/z 58 (daughter ion of the Chlormequat quaternary ammonium ion, m/z 122) and m/z 61 (daughter ion of the ¹³C-Chlormequat quaternary ammonium ion, m/z 125) for quantification. The LC analysis time was 15 min and the limit of detection of the analytical method was 9 μg/kg. The performance of the method was demonstrated analysing grain material from an inter-comparison study. In Denmark the primary use of Chlormequat chloride (CCC, cycocel, or chlorocholin chloride, CAS no. 999-81-5) is for winter cereals and 11 such winter wheat samples from the Danish National Pesticide Survey were analysed. Residue contents were from below 0.01 up to 0.45 mg/kg, and thus below the EU maximum residue level of 2.0 mg/kg for wheat.     

Constructing tilted algebras from cluster-tilted algebras

Any cluster-tilted algebra is the relation extension of a tilted algebra. Given the distribution of a cluster-tilting object in the Auslander–Reiten quiver of the cluster category, we present a method to construct all tilted algebras whose relation extension is the endomorphism ring of this cluster-tilting object.     

Synthesis and reactivity of unsymmetrical difluoro Pt(IV) complexes

Difluoro Pt(IV) complexes (P-P)Pt(Ar)₂F₂ were prepared and characterized. One of the fluoro ligands can be selectively removed from the Pt coordination sphere giving the cationic product with the phosphine ligand trans to the empty coordination site.     

Kristallstrukturen aus CaBe2Ge2‐ und CeMg2Si2‐analogen Blöcken: Die Phosphide LnPt2P2−x (Ln: La,Sm)

Crystal Structures of CaBe₂Ge₂ and CeMg₂Si₂ analogous Units: The Phosphides LnPt₂P_2?x (Ln: La, Sm) Single crystals of LaPt₂P_1.44 (a = 4.174(1), c = 19.212(5) Å) were grown by reaction of vaporous phosphorus with LaPt₂ at 1050 °C during two weeks, whereas SmPt₂P_1.50 (a = 4.131(1), c = 19.086(4) Å) was synthesized by heating mixtures of the elements at 900 and 1100 °C (60 h) and annealing at 1050 °C (300 h). Both phosphides were investigated by single crystal X‐ray methods. Their crystal structures (I4/mmm; Z = 4) consist of CaBe₂Ge₂ and CeMg₂Si₂ analogous units alternating with each other along [001]. The positions of the P1 atoms are occupied incompletely causing the deviation to the 1:2:2 stoichiometry. Another compounds LnPt₂P_2?x were studied by X‐ray powder diffraction resulting in the following lattice constants: a = 4.150(1), c = 19.132(5) Å for CePt₂P_2–x, a = 4.137(1), c = 19.085(4) Å for PrPt₂P_2?x, and a = 4.127(1), c = 19.040(2) Å for NdPt₂P_2?x.