Development of a novel molecularly imprinted polymer for the retention of 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene

Several molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for the retention of 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene (4,6-DMDBT) were prepared. The first was a polymer prepared non-covalently with methacrylic acid and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate polymerized in the presence of 4,6-DMDBT. After extraction of 4,6-DMDBT, the selectivity of the imprinted polymer was evaluated by HPLC and compared to a non-imprinted control polymer prepared without 4,6-DMDBT. The imprinted polymer retained 4,6-DMDBT slightly longer than the control polymer. The second polymer was prepared using nickel (II)-methacryloylhistidinedihydrate monomer which was combined with 4,6-DMDBT, and polymerized with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate. This is a novel use of this monomer for retention of sulfur-containing organic compounds. Selectivity for 4,6-DMDBT was much greater in this polymer compared to the first, and retention in acetonitrile was more than three times greater on the imprinted polymer compared to a control polymer. Results indicate the potential use of this novel MIP for the removal of organosulfur compounds from fuel.

Representation theory of three-dimensional Sklyanin algebras

We determine the dimensions of the irreducible representations of the Sklyanin algebras with global dimension 3. This contributes to the study of marginal deformations of the N=4$N=4$ super Yang–Mills theory in four dimensions in supersymmetric string theory. Namely, the classification of such representations is equivalent to determining the vacua of the aforementioned deformed theories.     

Thermochemical study of three dimethylpyrazine derivatives

The standard (p ⁰=0.1 MPa) molar enthalpies of formation, in the gaseous phase, at T-298.15 K, for 2,5-dimethylpyrazine (2,5-DMePz) and for the two dimethylpyrazine-N,N′-dioxide derivatives, 2,3-dimethylpyrazine-1,4-dioxide (2,3-DMePzDO) and 2,5-dimethylpyrazine-1,4-dioxide (2,5-DMePzDO), were derived from the measurements of standard massic energies of combustion, using a static bomb calorimeter, and from the standard molar enthalpies of vaporization or sublimation, measured by Calvet microcalorimetry. The mean values for the molar dissociation enthalpy of the nitrogen-oxygen bonds, 〈DH _m⁰〉(N-O), were derived for both N,N′-dioxide compounds. These values are discussed in terms of the molecular structure of the two N,N′-dioxide derivatives and compared with 〈DH _m⁰〉(N-O) values previously obtained for other N-oxide derivatives.     

Facile Cu-free Sonogashira cross-coupling of nucleoside C-6 arylsulfonates with terminal alkynes

The combination of PdCl₂[CH₃CN]₂ with XPhos is an efficient catalytic system for the Sonogashira-type cross-coupling of 2′-deoxyguanosine O⁶-arylsulfonates with terminal alkynes. The reactions generally proceed under mild conditions requiring no Cu co-catalyst to give the corresponding C-6-alkynylated deoxynucleosides in moderate to good yields.     

Simultaneous detection of ultraviolet B-induced DNA damage using capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence

An immunoassay based on CE–LIF was developed for the simultaneous detection of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and pyrimidine 6-4 pyrimidone photoproducts (6-4PPs) in genomic DNA irradiated with UVB or natural sunlight. Human cells were first exposed to varying amounts of UVB or natural sunlight to induce DNA damage. Genomic DNA was extracted and incubated with anti-CPD and anti-6-4PP primary antibodies attached to secondary antibodies with a fluorescent quantum dot (QD) reporter that emitted either red or yellow fluorescence. CE was used to separate the unbound antibodies from those bound to the photoproducts, and LIF with appropriate optical filters was used to separate the fluorescence signals from each QD to individual photomultiplier tubes for simultaneous photoproduct detection. Using this strategy, photoproducts were detected from ∼6 ng (200 ng μL⁻¹) of DNA under a low UVB fluence of 65 J m⁻² for CPDs or 195 J m⁻² for 6-4PPs. This assay was also the first to demonstrate the detection of CPDs in human cells after only 15 min of irradiation under natural sunlight.     

The use of selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry to detect and quantify polyamines in headspace gas and oral air

Polyamines are a class of aliphatic compounds which include putrescine, cadaverine, spermine and spermidine. They are involved in a variety of cellular processes and have been implicated in a number of different pathophysiological mechanisms. Polyamines are volatile compounds having a distinctive odour normally perceived as being unpleasant. The measurement of their abundance has, however, been restricted to compounds present in the aqueous phase. Using selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry (SIFT‐MS) we have shown that the polyamines react with the ions H₃O⁺, NO⁺ and O to form distinctive product ions allowing their levels to be quantified in the vapour phase. The low volatility of spermine did not allow extensive analysis of this compound by SIFT‐MS while the adherent properties of cadaverine and putrescine required the use of PTFE transfer lines and couplers. Our data suggested the presence of cadaverine and putrescine in both oral air and the headspace of putrefying bovine muscle, while product ions corresponding to putrescine and spermidine were found in the headspace of human semen. SIFT‐MS therefore appears to be a practical means of measuring vapour‐phase polyamine levels, having applications in biology, medicine and dentistry, and food science. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.