Separation and determination of alditols and sugars by high-pH anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection

Carbohydrates such as alditols (polyols or sugar alcohols), monosaccharides and disaccharides are separated as anions by anion-exchange chromatography with a sodium hydroxide eluent, MA1 CarboPac column and pulsed amperometric detection. We report a high-pH anion-exchange chromatographic-pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD) method that determines all the polyols used as food additives in food products and the most commonly found mono- and disaccharides on a routine basis. The linearity, repeatability, internal reproducibility and accuracy are described. The applicability of the method has been demonstrated by the analysis of 46 relevant samples and by participation twice in the Food Analysis Performance Assessment Scheme (FAPAS) testing programme for food additives.     

Organopolysiloxanes as Chemically Sensitive Coatings for Optical Fibers

Various types of UV-curable organically modified siloxanes have been synthesized by the sol-gel method with the aim of fabricating chemically sensitive coatings for silica optical fibers. The refractive index of the coating material can be tailored in the range from 1.46 to 1.56 and sensitivity towards CO2 is achieved by incorporation of amino groups. The interaction of the cured layers with CO2 or with hydrocarbons has been studied in immersion experiments. Both the reaction of CO2 with incorporated amino groups and the penetration of hydrocarbons into the layer induce changes of the light absorption coefficient and the refractive index of the coating which are detected by measuring the output light intensity from the fiber.     

Enzyme electrokinetics: electrochemical studies of the anaerobic interconversions between active and inactive states of Allochromatium vinosum [NiFe]-hydrogenase

The cycling between active and inactive states of the catalytic center of [NiFe]-hydrogenase from Allochromatium vinosum has been investigated by dynamic electrochemical techniques. Adsorbed on a rotating disk pyrolytic graphite "edge" electrode, the enzyme is highly electroactive: this allows precise manipulations of the complex redox chemistry and facilitates quantitative measurements of the interconversions between active catalytic states and the inactive oxidized form Ni(r) (also called Ni-B or "ready") as functions of pH, H(2) partial pressure, temperature, and electrode potential. Cyclic voltammograms for catalytic H(2) oxidation (current is directly related to turnover rate) are highly asymmetric (except at pH > 8 and high temperature) due to inactivation being much slower than activation. Controlled potential-step experiments show that the rate of oxidative inactivation increases at high pH but is independent of potential, whereas the rate of reductive activation increases as the potential becomes more negative. Indeed, at 45 degrees C, activation takes just a few seconds at -288 mV. The cyclic asymmetry arises because interconversion is a two-stage reaction, as expected if the reduced inactive Ni(r)-S state is an intermediate. The rate of inactivation depends on a chemical process (rearrangement and uptake of a ligand) that is independent of potential, but sensitive to pH, while activation is driven by an electron-transfer process, Ni(III) to Ni(II), that responds directly to the driving force. The potentials at which fast activation occurs under different conditions have been analyzed to yield the potential-pH dependence and the corresponding entropies and enthalpies. The reduced (active) enzyme shows a pK of 7.6; thus, when a one-electron process is assumed, reductive activation at pH < 7 involves a net uptake of one proton (or release of one hydroxide), whereas, at pH > 8, there is no net exchange of protons with solvent. Activation is favored by a large positive entropy, consistent with the release of a ligand and/or relaxation of the structure around the active site.     

Analysis of various classes of drugs by capillary supercritical fluid chromatography

Three classes of drugs were screened for analysis feasibility by capillary column supercritical fluid chromatography. These included steroids, therapeutic antibiotic drugs, and drugs of abuse, such as cannabinoids. Supercritical fluid carbon dioxide was used as the mobile phase in conjunction with a methylpolysiloxane stationary phase capillary column and a flame ionization detector. All compounds considered were analyzed either as single component solutions, simple mixtures, or in actual complex mixtures.