Effect of a hydrotrope on the viscoelastic properties of polymer-like micellar solutions

Low-viscosity micellar aqueous solutions of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) undergo a major change in the presence of the hydrotrope, potassium 1-phenylmethylsulfate (KPhMS), producing a highly viscoelastic entanglement network of polymer-like micelles. The system studied here shows typical shear banding flow behavior, which tends to disappear with increasing the hydrotrope-to-surfactant concentration ratio (C _H / C _S). The linear rheological response was analyzed with the model of Granek–Cates, whereas the nonlinear behavior was reproduced with the Bautista–Manero–Puig (BMP) model. Both models introduce a kinetic equation to account for the breaking and reformation of the micelles, and they predict the linear and nonlinear rheological data very well. This paper was presented at Annual European Rheology Conference (AERC) held in Hersonisos, Crete, Greece, April 27–29, 2006.     

Direct analysis of pharmaceutical formulations from non‐bonded reversed‐phase thin‐layer chromatography plates by desorption electrospray ionisation ion mobility mass spectrometry

The direct analysis of pharmaceutical formulations and active ingredients from non‐bonded reversed‐phase thin layer chromatography (RP‐TLC) plates by desorption electrospray ionisation (DESI) combined with ion mobility mass spectrometry (IM‐MS) is reported. The analysis of formulations containing analgesic (paracetamol), decongestant (ephedrine), opiate (codeine) and stimulant (caffeine) active pharmaceutical ingredients is described, with and without chromatographic development to separate the active ingredients from the excipient formulation. Selectivity was enhanced by combining ion mobility and mass spectrometry to characterise the desorbed gas‐phase analyte ions on the basis of mass‐to‐charge ratio (m/z) and gas‐phase ion mobility (drift time). The solvent composition of the DESI spray using a step gradient was varied to optimise the desorption of active pharmaceutical ingredients from the RP‐TLC plates. The combined RP‐TLC/DESI‐IM‐MS approach has potential as a rapid and selective technique for pharmaceutical analysis by orthogonal gas‐phase electrophoretic and mass‐to‐charge separation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Colour and art: A brief history of pigments

Human beings have had an inherent urge to leave their mark in the form of works of art since prehistoric times. This has driven the quest for new and better pigments with which to make paints. This paper describes the origins and composition of earliest earth pigments used by primitive man to decorate the walls of caves through to the synthetic pigments developed in more recent times. Despite modern technology, the artist's palette remains a mixture of the pigments used by cave artists, natural pigments used in the middle ages, and modern organic compounds.     

New developments in the synthesis and characterization of phosphate esters of linear (per)fluoropolyether monofunctional and difunctional macromonomers

The synthesis of (per)fluoropolyether phosphate esters prepared by the reaction of phosphorus pentoxide and fluorinated alcohols has been investigated. The reactivity strongly depends on the structure of the fluorinated alcohol, generally decreasing with increasing acidity. Moreover, the addition of a modulated amount of water to the starting fluorinated alcohol allows the fine‐tuning of the monoalkylester and dialkylester contents in the final products. Therefore, when difunctional perfluoropolyether macromonomers are considered, the polymerization degree can be varied, and phosphate oligoesters of different molecular weights can be obtained in high yields, even if, as in this study, the synthesis is focused on low‐molecular‐weight oligomers. This easy control of the oligoester composition in the final product makes it possible to address the synthesis of phosphate oligoesters having a well‐defined equivalent weight, which also depends on the average molecular weight of the starting alcohol. The full characterization of the products is made possible by the combination of different NMR techniques (¹H, ¹⁹F, ³¹P, ¹³C, and two‐dimensional NMR: ³¹P–¹H and ³¹P–¹³C). This synthetic route shows great potential and opens the way to a new family of interesting candidates for the treatment of different organic or inorganic substrates to impart phobic properties against both polar and apolar substances. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 4790–4804, 2005     

Chiral DNA Origami Nanotubes with Well‐Defined and Addressable Inside and Outside Surfaces

We report the design and assembly of chiral DNA nanotubes with well‐defined and addressable inside and outside surfaces. We demonstrate that the outside surface can be functionalised with a chiral arrangement of gold nanoparticles to create a plasmonic device and that the inside surface can be functionalised with a track for a molecular motor allowing transport of a cargo within the central cavity.     

Reinvestigation of the paracetamol–caffeine,aspirin–caffeine,and paracetamol–aspirin phase equilibria diagrams

Many drug candidates are poorly soluble. The formation of solid dispersion can improve their solubility, consequently their bioavailability. For this purpose, the use of eutectic mixtures is well known in the pharmaceutical field. At the eutectic composition, both components are in reduced particle size and well dispersed. In this work, we focus on the combination of paracetamol, aspirin, and caffeine, which is highly effective for the treatment of migraine headache pain. We have reinvestigated the paracetamol–caffeine, aspirin–caffeine, and paracetamol–aspirin phase equilibria diagrams taking into account the polymorphism of caffeine, paracetamol, and aspirin. The three phase diagrams are determined using X-ray diffraction and the differential scanning calorimetry from the binary mixtures. It is concluded that the paracetamol–caffeine and aspirin–caffeine systems are similar and exhibit two invariants, one eutectic and one metatectic. The paracetamol–aspirin phase diagram reveals the formation of one eutectic. The composition of the three eutectics formed is confirmed by the related Tamman’s triangles. No compound formation is found in the three systems.     

Preparing to read the ubiquitin code: characterization of ubiquitin trimers by top‐down mass spectrometry

The profound effects of ubiquitination on the movement and processing of cellular proteins depend exquisitely on the structures of monoubiquitin and polyubiquitin modifications. Unconjugated polyubiquitins also have a variety of intracellular functions. Structures and functions are not well correlated yet, because the structures of polyubiquitins and polyubiquitin modifications of proteins are difficult to decipher. We are moving towards a robust strategy to provide that structural information. In this report electron transfer dissociation mass spectra of six synthetic ubiquitin trimers (multiply branched proteins with molecular masses exceeding 25 600 Da) are examined using an Orbitrap Fusion Lumos instrument to determine how top‐down mass spectrometry can characterize the chain topology and linkage sites in a single, facile workflow. The efficacy of this method relies on the formation, detection, and interpretation of extensive fragmentation. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Surface tension-driven self-folding polyhedra

We discuss finite element simulations and experiments involving the surface tension-driven self-folding of patterned polyhedra. Two-dimensional (2D) photolithographically patterned templates folded spontaneously when solder hinges between adjacent faces were liquefied. Minimization of interfacial free energy of the molten solder with the surrounding fluidic medium caused the solder to ball up, resulting in a torque that rotated adjacent faces and drove folding. The simulations indicate that the folding process can be precisely controlled, has fault tolerance, and can be used to fold polyhedra composed of a variety of materials, ranging in size from the millimeter scale down to the nanometer scale. Experimentally, we have folded metallic, arbitrarily patterned polyhedra ranging in size from 2 mm to 15 microm.     

Fully automated flow-through synthesis of secondary sulfonamides in a binary reactor system

A fully automated flow-through process for the production of secondary sulfonamides is presented. Primary sulfonamides were monoalkylated using a two-step "catch and release" protocol to generate library products of high purity. The automated flow synthesis platform incorporates four independent reactor columns and is able to perform automated column regeneration. A 48-member sulfonamide library was prepared as two 24-member sublibraries, affording library compounds in good yields and high purities without the need for further column chromatographic purification.