Applications of differential scanning calorimetry to enzyme kinetics

Differential scanning calorimetry has been investigated for its application to the experimental study of the temperature dependence of the kinetics of enzyme—substrate reactions. A reaction cell was developed which allows mixing of enzyme and substrate solutions directly in the calorimeter. The device was used to study the zero-order reaction of acetylcholinesterase with acetylcholine and the first-order reaction of α-chymotrypsin with N-acetyl-l-alanine methyl ester. The reaction cell is found to be satisfactory in the isothermal mode for both first- and zero-order reactions and in the scanning mode for the zero-order reactions but not for the first-order reaction. Limitations of the design are described for general enzyme kinetic studies.     

Stéréochimie des réactions de substitution des alcoxygermanes par les organolithiens et par les réactifs de Grignard

The reactions of organolithium reagents and Grignard reagents with optically active alkoxygermanes R₃GeOR′ have been studied [R₃GeOR′ = ()-i-PrPhNpGeOCH₃, ()-i-PrPhNPGeOMen and ()-MePhNpGeOMen]. Saturated reagents (e.g. butyllithium) give retention of configuration at germanium whilst unsaturated reagents (e.g. allyl- or benzyllithium) lead to inversion.     

A simplified assay of furosemide in plasma and urine by high-pressure liquid chromatography.

A simplified high-pressure liquid chromatograhic method for determination of furosemide in plasma and urine has been developed using a fluorometric detector directly coupled to the column effluent. The method includes an ether extraction from acidified biologic samples. The mobile phase used for chromatography on a reversed-phase column (C15 hydrocarbon permanently bonded to silica particles) is sufficiently acidic to induce fluorescence of furosemide. The methylester of furosemide is employed as an internal standard. The sensitivity is 0.1 and 0.25 microgram per ml plasma and urine, respectively. The applicability to pharmacokinetic studies of furosemide is shown.     

A practical approach to transferring linear gradient elution methods

Attempts to theoretically address the problems involved in transferring linear gradient elution methods have been somewhat ad hoc due to the simplifying assumptions usually made in conventional gradient elution theory. Until now, all equations based on the k* parameter of linear gradient elution theory used as the basis for predicting the separation selectivity have not explicitly included the effect of the dwell volume (VD). Using an exact equation for predicting k*, that is, one which fully accounts in an a priori fashion for VD, we find a set of simple yet exact equations which unequivocally must be satisfied to transfer an optimized linear gradient elution method from one system (column or instrument or both) to another. These relationships absolutely mandate that a change in the instrument dwell volume requires a proportional change in the column volume; in turn, a change in the column volume requires a proportional change in the flow rate and/or gradient time to maintain a constant gradient steepness. Although we are not the first to suggest these guidelines, this work provides a complete theoretical foundation for these exact guidelines for the maintenance of gradient selectivity for the case of transferring a linear gradient elution method between different columns packed with the same particles and/or between different instruments.     

The predictive accuracy for estimating infinite dilution activity coefficients by γ∞-based UNIFAC

The predictive accuracy for estimating infinite dilution activity coefficients by a modification of the UNIFAC method wherein the group interaction parameters were based on only data (referred to as -based UNIFAC) has been studied. Estimates and measured values were compared for six prototypical solutes in a series of homologous n-alkanes, l-alcohols and alkanenitrile solvents. Despite the fact that the interaction parameters were derived using only data, this approach still gave serious errors due to several inherent problems in the original UNIFAC model. Its performance is sometimes even poorer than that of the original UNIFAC method. For example for nitromethane in alcohols and p-dioxane in nitriles values predicted by the -based UNIFAC are essentially zero. The large errors for these systems are most likely due to inaccurate interaction parameters in the -based UNIFAC method.     

Determination of trace metals as n-butyl-2-naphthylmethyldithiocarbamates by high-performance liquid chromatography with a fixed-wavelength absorbance detector

The determination of traces of metals by high-performance liquid chromatography of their n-butyl-2-naphthylmethyldithiocarbamate complexes, with a fixed-wavelength absorbance detector, is described. Metal complexes of this ligand are thermodynamically stable and kinetically inert towards dissociation. Various metal complexes, including those of nickel(II), iron(III), mercury(II), thallium(III), platinum(II), palladium(II), copper(II), and cobalt(II) are readily determined. The practical aspects of their separation on various nonpolar stationary phase columns are discussed. The detection limits compare very favorably with those of atomic spectrometry and are about 0.1 ng or approximately 10nM.     

Preparation and dilute solution properties of model gemini nonionic surfactants

Dimeric poly(ethylene oxide) surfactants (or nonionic gemini surfactants) with the structure (Cn-2H2n-3CHCH2O(CH2CH2O)mH)2(CH2)6 (or GemnEm), where n is the alkyl length and m is the average number of ethylene oxides per head group, were synthesized. Surfactants were synthesized with alkyl chain lengths n = 12, 14, and 20 and m = 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30. Water solubilities and cloud temperatures at 1 wt% were determined by measuring turbidity as a function of temperature. Cloud temperatures increase with m and decrease with n, as observed for conventional surfactants. For large m the cloud temperatures were all above 100 degrees C. Surfactants with small m (i.e., n = 12, 14, m = 5 and n = 20, m = 10) were insoluble at room temperature, forming two-phase mixtures. Critical micelle concentrations (CMCs) were measured using a pyrene fluorescence method and are all in the range of 10(-7) to 10(-6) M, with the lowest values from the surfactants with large n and small m. CMCs of mixtures with both anionic and nonionic conventional (monomeric) surfactants were well described by an ideal mixing model.