Tris(4,7-dihydroxy-1,10-phenanthroline)iron(II) as a low-potential oxidation-reduction indicator: determination of hydrosulphite

The formal reduction potential of the tris(4,7-dihydroxy-1,10-phenanthroline)iron(III,II) couple is -0.06 V in the pH range 10-13, not -0.11 V as reported earlier. The couple forms an excellent visual oxidation-reduction indicator for the titration of sodium hydrosulphite with potassium ferricyanide in alkaline solution.     

Carotenoid incorporation into microsomes: yields, stability and membrane dynamics

The carotenoids beta-carotene (BC), lycopene (LYC), lutein (LUT), zeaxanthin (ZEA), canthaxanthin (CTX) and astaxanthin (ASTA) have been incorporated into pig liver microsomes. Effective incorporation concentrations in the range of about 1-6 nmol/mg microsomal protein were obtained. A stability test at room temperature revealed that after 3 h BC and LYC had decayed totally whereas, gradually, CTX (46%), LUT (21%), ASTA (17%) and ZEA (5%) decayed. Biophysical parameters of the microsomal membrane were changed hardly by the incorporation of carotenoids. A small rigidification may occur. Membrane anisotropy seems to offer only a small tolerance for incorporation of carotenoids and seems to limit the achievable incorporation concentrations of the carotenoids into microsomes. Microsomes instead of liposomes should be preferred as a membrane model to study mutual effects of carotenoids and membrane dynamics.     

Post-column oxidative derivatization for the liquid chromatographic determination of phenothiazines

A first post-column chemical derivatization method for the liquid chromatographic determination of phenothiazines is presented. Peroxyacetic acid is introduced as a derivatizing agent for phenothiazines, yielding the colored radical cations or fluorescent sulfoxides, depending on reaction conditions. Both reaction products were successfully employed for the detection of the phenothiazines after their liquid chromatographic separation. The fluorescence spectroscopic detection of the sulfoxides proved to be the more robust and sensitive method. Limits of detection ranged from 4 nM for triflupromazine and trimeprazine to 300 nM for phenothiazine for the fluorescence spectroscopic detection of the sulfoxide and from 0.3 μM for phenothiazine and triflupromazine to 2 μM for trifluperazine for the UV–Vis spectroscopic detection of the radical cation. The calibration functions for the fluorimetric sulfoxide determination ranged from two to more than three decades, starting at the limit of quantification.     

4H-Chromenone Glycosides from Eranthis hyemalis (L.) SALISBURY

Investigation of the tubers of Eranthis hyemalis (Ranunculaceae) afforded six chromenone glycosides. Their structures have been elucidated mainly by spectroscopic (FAB-MS, 2D-NMR techniques) and chemical methods (acidic and enzymatic hydrolysis) as 9-{[(β-D -glucopyranosyl)oxy]methyl}-8,11-dihydro-5-hydroxy-2-methyl-4H-pyrano[2,3-g][1]benzoxepin-4-one ( 1 ), 9-{[(β-D -gentiobiosyl)oxy]methyl}-8,11-dihydro-5-hydroxy-2-methyl-4H-pyrano[2,3-g][1]benzoxepin-4-one( 2 ), 9-{[(β-D -glucopyranosvl)oxy]melhyl}-8,11-dihydro-5-hydroxy-2-(hydroxy-methyl)-4H-pyrano[2,3-g][1]benzoxepin-4-one( 3 ), 8-{(2E)-4-[(β-D -glucopyranosyl)oxy]-3-methylbut-2-enyl}-5,7-dihydroxy-2-methyl-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one ( 4 ), 8-{(2E)-4-[(β-D -glucopyranosyi)oxy]-3-methylbut-2-enyl}-5,7-dihydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one ( 5 ), and 7-{[(β-D -glucopyranosy1)oxy]methyl}-2,3-dihydro-2-(l-hydroxy-1-methylethyl)-4-methoxy-5H-furo[3,2-g][1]benzopyran-5-one ( 6 ). Compound 2 exhibited negative inotropic activity.     

Stripping Analysis of Trace Metals at a Flow-Through Reticulated Vitreous Carbon Electrode after the Preconcentration by Supported Liquid Membrane Technique

Abstract

The performance of a flow-through mercury coated reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) electrode in the potentiometric stripping analysis (PSA) of trace metals has been examined. A wall-jet glassy carbon cell was used for the comparative experiments. Experimental parameters influencing the stripping signals have been optimised in order to use the stripping analysis after the preconcentration and matrix isolation by supported liquid membrane (SLM) technique. The SLM with di-2-ethylhexyl-phosphoric acid (DEHPA) as the extractant in the membrane liquid for proton driven transport of trace metals across the membrane has been chosen. Results presented for lead determination in river water demonstrate the analytical advantages of coupled technique SLM-PSA.     

Effects of structural properties of silicon carbide-derived carbons on their electrochemical double-layer capacitance in aqueous and organic electrolytes

High surface area silicon carbide-derived carbons (Si-CDCs) synthesized by chlorination of beta silicon carbide (βSiC) with two different particle sizes (6 μm and 50 nm) show different porosities with graphitic structure. Transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and argon (Ar) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) sorption analyses are used to examine the textural properties of the Si-CDCs. The results show that the particle size of the precursor affects the surface area and porosity of carbons. Furthermore, an additional heat treatment of the Si-CDC with 50-nm particle size for 24 h at 1,000 °C results in a collapse of the pore structure and reduces the surface area. The capacitive behaviours are investigated in H₂SO₄ and in tetraethyl ammonium tetrafluoroborate (TEABF₄)/acetonitrile (AN). The electrochemical performance of the Si-CDCs is influenced by the particle size, surface area, pore volume and pore size distribution. The Si-CDCs exhibit capacitances in 1 M H₂SO₄ of up to 179 F g^?1 and very stable charge–discharge performance over 5,000 cycles. This study shows the crucial importance of ultramicropores less than 1 nm combined with nanosized particles for achieving high capacitance in aqueous electrolyte. Moreover, the graphitic degree at the surface of the Si-CDCs enhances considerably the rate capability and stability in both electrolytes.     

Practical guide for selection of 1H qNMR acquisition and processing parameters confirmed by automated spectra evaluation

In our recent paper, a new technique for automated spectra integration and quality control of the acquired results in qNMR was developed and validated (Monakhova & Diehl, Magn. Res. Chem. 2017, doi: 10.1002/mrc.4591 ). The present study is focused on the influence of acquisition and postacquisition parameters on the developed automated routine in particular, and on the quantitative NMR (qNMR) results in general, which has not been undertaken previously in a systematic and automated manner. Results are presented for a number of model mixtures and authentic pharmaceutical products measured on 500‐ and 600‐MHz NMR spectrometers. The influence of the most important acquisition (spectral width, transmitter [frequency] offset, number of scans, and time domain) and processing (size of real spectrum, deconvolution, Gaussian window multiplication, and line broadening) parameters for qNMR was automatically investigated. Moderate modification of the majority of the investigated parameters from default instrument settings within evaluated ranges does not significantly affect the trueness and precision of the qNMR. Lite Gaussian window multiplication resulted in accuracy improvement of the qNMR output and is recommended for routine measurements. In general, given that the acquisition and processing parameters were selected based on the presented guidelines, automated qNMR analysis can be employed for reproducible high‐precision concentration measurements in practice.     

Electrochemical Approach for the Production of Layered Double Hydroxides with a Well-Defined Co/MeIII Ratio

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have been widely studied for their plethora of fascinating features and applications. The potentiostatic electrodeposition of LDHs has been extensively applied in the literature as a fast and direct method to substitute classical chemical routes. However, the electrochemical approach does not usually allow for a fine control of the M^II/M^III ratio in the synthesized material. By employing a recently proposed potentiodynamic method, LDH films of controlled composition are herein prepared with good reproducibility, using different ratios of the trivalent (Fe or Al) to bivalent (Co) cations in the electrolytic solution. All the obtained materials are shown to be effective oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts, and are thoroughly characterized by a multi-technique approach, including FE-SEM, XRD, Raman, AES and a wide range of electrochemical procedures.     

Thermochemistry of Surfactant-Templating of USY Zeolite

With the aim of understanding the thermochemistry of the introduction of mesoporosity in zeolites by using surfactants, high temperature oxide melt solution calorimetry was used to determine the change in the enthalpy of formation of USY zeolite before and after the introduction of mesoporosity. Our results confirm that this process only slightly destabilizes the zeolite by the additional surface area. However, this can be overcome by the stabilizing effect of the interactions between the surfactant and the zeolite framework.