Variable temperature n.m.r. behaviour of 1,5-benzodiazepinones and 1,5-benzodiazepinthiones

The n.m.r. variable temperature behaviour of the 7-membered ring in 1,3-dihydro-2H-1,5-benzodiazepin-2-one derivatives and in the corresponding 2-thiones has been investigated. The results indicate that the ring inversion barrier is higher in the thiones and dependent on substituents bonded at N-1. The activation parameters are obtained and discussed.     

Magnetic properties of the two-band singlet-hole model for the copper-oxide plane

A two-band Hubbard-like model with highly asymmetric hopping parameters is studied by means of composite operator method. In particular, the spin magnetic susceptibility for the paramagnetic case is computed and the results are in qualitative agreement with the experimental situation in La_2?x Sr _x CuO₄ systems.     

Synthesis of 4-aryl-1H-1,2,3-triazoles through TBAF-catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloaddition of 2-aryl-1-nitroethenes with TMSN3 under solvent-free conditions

TBAF-catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloaddition reactions of 2-aryl-1-cyano- or 2-aryl-1-carbethoxy-1-nitroethenes 1 with TMSN3 under SFC allow the corresponding 4-aryl-5-cyano- or 4-aryl-5-carbethoxy-1H-1,2,3-triazoles 2 to be prepared under mild reaction conditions and with good to excellent yields (70-90%). The proposed protocol does not require dried glassware or inert atmosphere.     

Efficient microwave combinatorial parallel and nonparallel synthesis of N-alkylated glycine methyl esters as peptide building blocks

An easy and convenient microwave-assisted synthesis of N-alkylated glycine methyl esters is described. Parallel and nonparallel combinatorial methods are described and compared. The described reactions are reductive alkylations of several aldehydes and glycine methyl ester in the presence of NaBH3CN. Good yields and short reaction times are the main aspects of these procedures.     

Twenty years of the Me.Tos. Project: an Italian national external quality assessment scheme for trace elements in biological fluids

The Me.Tos. Project, started in 1983 and still running, is an external quality assessment (EQA) scheme for laboratories performing specialized analyses in occupational and environmental laboratory medicine. Besides the organization of EQA exercises, initiatives for further education of the participants and the harmonization of EQA procedures at a European level are carried out. Participation in EQA schemes allows laboratories to comply with the international standards for the quality and competence of testing and clinical laboratories. The organization of the scheme includes the preparation of control materials, their distribution to the participants, according to strategies aimed to avoid identification of the samples, the statistical analysis of the results and the evaluation of laboratories' performance according to international guidelines and criteria set by the organizers. An overview of the scheme operation and the current performances of participants will be given.     

Estimates of uncertainty of measurement from proficiency testing data: a case study

The results obtained by a laboratory over a number of proficiency testing/external quality assessment schemes (PT/EQAS) rounds can give information on the uncertainty of its measurements for a given test, provided that conditions such as full coverage of the routine analytical range, traceability, and small uncertainty of the assigned values (compared to the spread of the results) are met and provided that systematic deviations and any other sources of uncertainty are considered. As organisers of the Italian EQAS (ITEQAS) in occupational and environmental laboratory medicine, we tested this hypothesis using as model data from well-performing laboratories taking part in ITEQAS for lead in blood over the last 2 years. We also investigated how different PT/EQAS features (frequency of trials and number of samples) would affect a laboratory estimate of its uncertainty. Such information can be helpful in improving PT/EQAS organisation and define, for a given test: (a) the state of the art of the uncertainty of current measurement procedures, (b) identify needs for improvement of analytical methodologies and (c) set targets for acceptable uncertainty values.Presented at the Eurachem PT Workshop September 2005, Portorož, Slovenia.Papers published in this section do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Editors, the Editorial Board and the Publisher.     

Solvent-free Al(OTf)3-catalyzed aminolysis of 1,2-epoxides by 2-picolylamine: a key step in the synthesis of ionic liquids

Beta-Amino alcohols N-2'-pyridylmethyl substituted 3 have been prepared in excellent yields under mild conditions by the first Lewis acid-catalyzed aminolysis of 1,2-epoxides 1 with the bihaptic amine 2-picolylamine (2) with use of 5 mol % of Al(OTf)(3) under solvent-free conditions. As a representative of a new class of ionic liquids, cis-5-[(4'-methylphenyl)sulfonyl]-1,2,3,4,4a,5,6,11a-octahydropyrido[1,2-a]quinoxalin-11-ium methanesulfonate (6) and its chloride derivative 7 have been synthesized under environmentally friendly conditions by the one-pot aminolysis of cyclohexene oxide (1a) with 2 and intramolecular cyclization of the resulting 2-[(pyridin-2'-yl)methylamino]cyclohexanol (3a).     

Granular structure of self-assembled PAA/PAH and PSS/PAH nascent films imaged in situ by LC-AFM

Liquid cell atomic force microscopy (LC-AFM) is used to image self-assembled polyelectrolyte films eliminating any drying effects on the film structure. Weak/weak and strong/weak polyelectrolyte films are formed by the alternated deposition of poly(acrylic acid) [PAA]/poly(allylamine hydrochloride) [PAH], and poly(sodium 4-styrene sulfonate) [PSS]/PAH, respectively, forming a granular surface structure. Number and area of grains (GN, GA) are used to characterize the surface of these films during their build up process. We show that hydrophilic PAA increases GA and decreases GN, while these parameters follow an opposite behavior with PSS. In both cases, GA and GN always have a simple inverse relationship, and then grain surface coverage (GS=GNGA) is nearly constant and independent of polyelectrolyte nature and the substrates used here, but also in the published data as well. The drying of the weak/weak film was also imaged after natural and forced solvent evaporation, and the surface structure is strongly affected, although the GS values keep roughly the same value found for wet films. The set of these results indicates that GS may be considered as a constant parameter during the build-up for the self-nascent assembled polyelectrolytes. The granular structure is still maintained after glucose oxidase adsorption on these films with comparable GS values.