Excess molar volumes and excess viscosities for then-hexane+dichloromethane+tetrahydrofuran ternary system at 25°C

Exces molar volumes, and excess viscosities of then-hexane+dichloromethane+tetrahydrofuran system have been determined at 25°C by measuring densities and viscosities. Different expressions exist in the literature to predict these excess properties from binary data. The empirical correlation of Cibulka is shown to be the best in this system.     

The influence of the brewing process on the formation of biogenic amines in beers

Biogenic amines, as dabsyl derivatives, were determined in beer samples, intermediate products, and raw materials (malt and maize) by HPLC. A procedure for the extraction of the amines from malt and maize with diluted hydrochloric acid was optimised by combining a Response Surface Methodology with a Simultaneous Decision Making Approach. The results of the analysis indicate that, in brewing, technology and hygiene are the decisive factors that determine the amine concentrations in the final product.     

An algorithm for determining dynamically defined reaction paths (DDRP)

Summary A numerically stable and well-parallelizable curve variational algorithm is described for determining tangent curves of vector fields between two given stationary points. In particular, the method is suitable for finding reaction paths and saddle points on potential energy hypersurfaces (PHS). The stability of the procedure is illustrated by an artificial mathematical function, showing phases of following the reaction on the PHS.Dedicated to Professor Zoltán G. Szabó, the great teacher and scientist in reaction kinetics and in many other fields of physical chemistry, on his 84th birthday.     

The use of liquid scintillation spectrometry for the determination of radionuclidic purity of 90Y from a radiochemical 90Y/90Srgenerator

Summary An extraction technique for the separation of ⁹⁰Sr from a high excess of⁹⁰Y has been developed. This procedure can be used for the determination of trace amounts of⁹⁰Sr in⁹⁰Y prepared by a radiochemical⁹⁰Y/⁹⁰Sr generator by liquid scintillation.     

Control of the Properties of Carbon Nanotubes Synthesized by CVD for Application in Electrochemical Biosensors

Interest in carbon nanotubes (CNT) has grown at a very rapid rate in the last decade. Their interesting physical and chemical properties open attractive possibilities in many application areas. These properties depend on the process conditions during synthesis and on subsequent purification steps. Recent studies have demonstrated that CNT can promote the electron transfer of biomolecules. These exceptional properties make them attractive for use in electrochemical biosensors. Multi walled nanotubes have been synthesized by the Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) method using methane as a carbon source and Ni–Al₂O₃–SiO₂ as the catalyst. The influence of the variation of certain reaction parameters such as feed gas composition, catalyst mass, temperature and reaction time in the yield of the CVD process has been established. In addition, the structural and chemical characteristics of the CNTs have been studied and a purification process to eliminate the catalyst and amorphous carbon has been developed that involves a gaseous oxidative process and acid treatment. The efficiency of the purification step has been determined by analytical techniques. Atomic force microscopy, Raman scattering, thermogravimetric analysis, inductively coupled plasma atomic spectroscopy are the characterization techniques employed in this work.     

Fluorescence spectroscopy for monitoring deterioration of extra virgin olive oil during heating

The potential of fluorescence spectroscopy for characterizing the deterioration of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) during heating was investigated. Two commercial EVOO were analysed by HPLC to determine changes in EVOO vitamin E and polyphenols as a result of heating at 170°C for 3 h. This thermal oxidation of EVOO caused an exponential decrease in hydroxytyrosol and vitamin E (R²=0.90 and 0.93, respectively) whereas the tyrosol content was relatively stable. At the same time, amounts of preformed hydroperoxides (ROOH), analysed by an indirect colorimetric method, decreased exponentially during the heating process (R²=0.94), as a result of their degradation into secondary peroxidation products. Fluorescence excitation spectra with emission at 330 and 450 nm were recorded to monitor polyphenols and vitamin E evolution and ROOH degradation, respectively. Partial least-squares calibration models were built to predict these indicators of EVOO quality from oil fluorescence spectra. A global approach was then proposed to monitor the heat charge from the overall fluorescence fingerprint. Different data pretreatment methods were tested. This study indicates that fluorescence spectroscopy is a promising, rapid, and cost-effective approach for evaluating the quality of heat-treated EVOO, and is an alternative to time-consuming conventional analyses. In future work, calibration models will be developed using a wide range of EVOO samples.     

Parallel and multiplexed bead-based assays and encoding strategies

Advances in high throughput screening (HTS), together with the rapid progress in combinatorial chemistry, genomic and proteomic sciences have dramatically stimulated the development of a variety tools to enable the drug discovery process to become more efficient. Major future challenges in HTS include obtaining high density and good quality data based on assays that are rapid, reliable, inexpensive, sensitive, simple and miniaturised. This paper reviews the development and role of bead-based assays for HTS including DNA and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assays, particularly from a multiplex perspective and evaluating the recent advances in bead-based arrays. The encoding strategies that are commonly used in bead-based assays are highlighted, while the importance of magnetic beads in genomic and proteomic purifications is discussed. In conclusion, bead-based assays offer a powerful promising approach for many aspects of drug discovery.     

Determination of organochlorine pesticides by gas chromatography with solid-phase microextraction

Summary A study of different extraction techniques for the determination of a selected group of organochlorine compounds in surface waters is presented. Comparison of liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) with solid-phase extraction (SPE) and solid-phase microextraction (SPME) with fibers of different polarity shows that SPME with a recently commercialised fiber of polydimethylsiloxane divinylbenzene allows these compounds to be determined in surface waters with good extraction efficiencies. Extraction time, effect of temperature, ionic strength and pH were optimised, allowing quantification in agricultural effluents in the range 1.0–60 ng·L⁻¹.     

The multiphase kinetics of phosphate uptake by plant roots

The multiphase character of phosphate uptake kinetics was stated in the experiments with intact maize roots depending on different phosphorus concentration in the external solution /from 0.0001 to 50 mM P/. The single phases are characterized by different K_m and V_max values as well as by transition points /T/. The separate phases of the multiphase isotherm of phosphates uptake are distinguished by transition points. T determines the critical concentration of phosphorus as a function of active membrane transport system /i.e. T_1–2=0.39 mM; T_2–3=1.96 mM; T_3–4=10 mM; T_4–5=33 mM/.     

Validated, non-destructive and environmentally friendly determination of cocaine in euro bank notes

A non-destructive, fast and environmentally friendly procedure has been developed for cocaine determination in euro bank notes. Cocaine was extracted with 15 ml methanol by vortex agitation during 5 min. The extract was evaporated and reconstituted in 0.5 ml methanol. GC-MS-MS analysis was performed using as precursor ion m/z 182.2, with an excitation energy voltage of 1.60 eV, being the product ions measured m/z 150.2 and 82.0. A limit of detection of 0.15 ng per note and a repeatability of 6%, established from the relative standard deviation, of a 1 ng ml(-1) level, were achieved. Recoveries of 101+/-2 and 98+/-3% were obtained for samples spiked with 100 and 10 microg respectively. Results show that all the euro bank notes measured (16 samples) were contaminated with cocaine in the range between 1.25 and 889 microg. Two different contamination levels, high level (150-889 microg) and low one (1.25-77 microg) were found and it could be related with the direct or indirect contact with the drug.