Measurement of biological parameters during fermentation processes

Efficient fermentation control requires the measurement of biological parameters. Three techniques were tested for monitoring. In the first, the NADH-fluorescence of micro-organisms was measured in batch and in continuous cultures under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, providing information on the metabolic status of the cells. The effects of cell concentration and of different substrates (glucose, ethanol and oxygen) were studied. The second technique is the calorimetric determination of various substrates, such as penicillin or enzymes, by an enzyme/thermistor device. With immobilized penicillin acylase (E.C. 3.5.1.11) or penicillinase (E.C. 3.5.2.6), penicillin was determined selectively in a fermentation broth. The thermistor was also used to measure penicillin acylase activity. The third technique is laser flow cytometry. A commercial double-beam flow cytometry system was used to determine cell size, light scattering and the protein, DNA and RNA contents of single cells. Flow cytometry allows rapid and sensitive control of fermentation processes with genetically modified E. coli 5K (pHM12) cells. The results of monitoring the cell size, light scattering, and protein and DNA contents of different micro-organisms during fermentation are outlined.     

Microstructure and electrical properties of BaTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> and (Ba,Sr)TiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> ferroelectric thin films on nickel electrodes

Nickel thin films have been sputtered on standard Si/SiO₂ substrates with TiO₂ as an adhesive layer. The thermal stability of these substrates was analyzed. SEM images show an increase in grain size with annealing temperature. They were found to be stable till 800°C, beyond which the nickel layer disintegrated. These substrates were used for deposition of BaTiO₃ and (Ba,Sr)TiO₃ dielectric thin films under a reducing atmosphere. The dielectric thin films were processed with various pyrolysis and annealing temperatures in order to optimize the dielectric properties. Increased pyrolysis temperatures showed an increase in the grain size. Results on these nickelised substrates were finally compared with dielectric films deposited on platinized silicon substrates under identical conditions but crystallized in an oxygen atmosphere.     

The effect of electronegative atoms on the structures of hydrocarbons. ab initio calculations on molecules containing fluorine or (carbonyl) oxygen

A series of ab initio calculations have been carried out, using the 4-21G basis set. Ethane and propane were first studied to obtain reference points. The effect of adding an electronegative atom (fluorine, or carbonyl oxygen) onto the framework was then studied as a function of the torsional angle about the single bond. Some pronounced trends in structural changes were observed, and these can in part be correlated with hyperconjugative effects. For example, fluoroethane has bond lengths which are shorter than those in ethane itself, by 0.024 Åin the C C bond, and 0.003 Åin the α C H bonds. These changes are essentially torsionally independent. On the other hand, in propionaldehyde, the C C bond length of the methyl group and the C H bond lengths of the hydrogens attached to the alpha carbon vary as a function of the torsion angle. If the methyl C C bond in the carbonyl plane is taken as a reference, the bond stretches .016 Åwhen the torsion angle is increased to 90°, an α C H bond similarly stretches up to .007 Å. Many of these geometric changes are large, well beyond the experimental errors in modern measurements.     

4,4-Disubstituierte Imidazol-Derivate aus der Umsetzung von 3-Amino-2H-azirinen mit Salicylamid

4,4-Disubstituted Imidazole Derivatives from the Reaction of 3-Amino-2H-azirines with Salicylamide Reaction of 3-amino-2H-azirines 1a–c with salicylamide ( 7 ) in MeCN leads to imidazoles 10 and 11 in different rates, depending on the conditions. In the case of 1a and 1b, 11a and 11b , respectively, have been obtained as the main product at 50°; in reactions at 80°, 10a and 10b are the favored products (Tables 1 and 2). 2,2-Dimethyl-3-(N-methyl-N-phenylamino)-2H-azirine ( 1c ) reacts with 7 in MeCN mainly to 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-5,5-dimethyl-3,5-dihydroimidazol-4-one ( 10a ); in boiling toluene, 11c is formed with low preference (Table 3). The structure of the products has been established by spectroscopic means, and in the case of 10b and 11c , by X-ray crystallography. Two different reaction mechanisms for the formation of the products are discussed (Scheme 2).     

Zur Verbrennung fluor-, phosphor- und metallhaltiger Verbindungen mit einem CHN-Automaten

Zusammenfassung Durch Hinzunahme von Magnesiumoxid zur Verbrennungsrohrfüllung wird der Anwendungsbereich des CHN-Automaten auf fluor- und phosphorhaltige Proben erweitert. Diese beiden Elemente werden im wesentlichen in der Magnesiumoxidzone der Füllung gebunden. Bei manchen phosphorhaltigen Verbindungen macht die geringe Pyrolysegeschwindigkeit einen längeren Analysezyklus notwendig. Die längere Verbrennungszeit wird durch eine Reduzierung des Gasstromes ermöglicht. Bei metallhaltigen Proben geben alle Verbindungen, deren Metalle unter den herrschenden Bedingungen definierte Rückstände bilden, ohne besondere Maßnahmen gute Werte. Die Bildung carbonathaltiger Rückstände bei Alkali und Erdalkali wird meistens von der Apparatur als solche registriert.

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Summary The field of application of the CHN-automatic combustion devices is extended to samples containing fluorine and phosphorus by including magnesium oxide in the filling of the combustion tube. These two elements are essentially bound in the magnesium oxide zone. Many compounds containing phosphorus make it necessary to reduce the speed of the gas stream because of the low pyrolysis velocity. When samples containing metals are being analyzed, excellent results are obtained with all compounds whose metals yield definite residues under the prevailing conditions. The formation of residues containing carbonate in the case of alkali and alkaline earths is usually registered as such by the apparatus.

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Die Firma Technicon hat uns für diese Untersuchungen dankenswerterweise einen CHN-Analyzer zur Verfügung gestellt.     

Preparation,Structure, and Reactivity of Thioxo and Imino Derivatives of the Triolide (and Pentolide) from (R)-3-Hydroxybutanoic Acid

Reaction of the triolide 1 from (R)-3-hydroxybutanoic acid with Lawesson's reagent 5 leads to the mono-, di-, and trithio derivatives 6–8 which can be isolated in pure form (20–40% yields), and which have crystal structures very similar to the parent triolide 1 (Fig. 1). Similarly, pentolide 3 is converted to mixtures of various thio derivatives, three of which are separated ( 10–12 ) by HPLC and fully characterized. The X-ray structures of the mono- and of one of the dithiopentolides ( 10, 12 ) differ remarkably from each other (Fig. 3). Reduction of the thiotriolides 6–8 (NaBH₄, R₃SnH, Cl₃SiH, Raney-Ni) gives 12-membered rings containing up to three ether groups (chiral crown ethers, 15, 17–19 ) in poor yields. The thiotriolides react spontaneously and in yields of up to 96% with ammonia, certain primary amines, and hydroxylamine to give imine and oxime derivatives with intact 12-membered-ring backbones ( 20, 22–24, 30 , see crystal structures in Figs. 4–7). The rigid structure of all the derivatives of triolide 1 puts the C?O, C?S, and C?NR O-, S-, and N-atoms in juxtaposition (a feature reminiscent of the side chains in the iron-binder enterobactin, Fig. 6). Imines containing PPh₂ groups are prepared ( 30, 33, 35 ) from the thiotriolides and tested as chiral ligands for Pd^II-catalyzed 1,3-diphenyallylations (→ 37 , enantiomer ratio up to 77:23). The reactions described demonstrate that multiple reactions of the triolide 1 from (R)-3-hydroxybutanoic acid which proceed through tetrahedral intermediates are possible without ring opening – the skeleton is remarkably stable, and this might be exploited as a template for bringing up to three pendent substituents into close proximity to allow a study of their interactions and cooperative properties. Also, the di- and trithio derivatives 7 and 8 could be used for cross-linking in molecules containing primary NH₂ groups.     

Zum Mechanismus der Thermischen Dehydratisierung von Natriumdihydrogenphosphat

Mechanism of Thermal Dehydration of Sodium Dihydrogenphosphate The thermal dehydration of sodium dihydrogenphosphate (P₁) to sodium cyclotriphosphate (CP₃) and sodium polyphosphate, the so-called Maddrell's salt (MS), is controlled by nucleation and crystallization of CP₃ and MS, respectively. The wellknown influence of various formation conditions on the CP₃:MS product ratio is caused by amorphous and crystalline intermediate phases and their ability to form CP₃ or MS nuclei. On seeding P₁ with CP₃ or MS the dehydration proceeds structure-controlled via dihydrogendiphosphate to pure CP₃ or pure MS. The particularities of thermal dehydration of crystalline sodium dihydrogendiphosphate, and also the dehydration and reorganization of sodium phosphate glasses (Na:P = 1:1) with different mean chain lengths, under formation of CP₃ or MS are described.     

Carbonylrhodium complexes with pyridylphosphines: [Rh(chel)(CO)(PPhxpyl3−x)]

Summary Diphenyl(2-pyridyl)phosphine (PPh₂pyl), phenylbis(2-pyridyl)-phosphine (PPhpyl₂) and tris(2-pyridyl)-phosphine (Ppyl₃) react with [Rh(acac)(CO)₂] (acac=acetylacetonate) and Rh(8-oxy)(CO)₂(8-oxy=8-hydroxyquinolinate) yielding [Rh(chel)(CO)(PPh_xpyl_3–x)]. The properties of these complexes were examined by spectral (i.r.,u.v.-vis,³¹P n.m.r.) and chemical methods.     

The role of the π-bonding network for trigonal level splittings of tris-bidentate Cr(acac)3 and Cr(ox) 3 3−

The varying -bonding contributions in the title compounds caused by the different electronic and molecular structure of the chelate rings are used for explaining the large band splittings in the absorption spectra by trigonal symmetry. It is shown that usual ligand field theory and the angular overlap model are not able to account for the trigonal level splitting of Cr(acac)₃ for which the coordination sphere of oxygen atoms is nearly octahedrally arranged. The experimental finding can, however, be rationalized by an extended angular overlap model which considers the phase coupling of -orbitals in the ligands leading to non-additive contributions to the metal-ligand bond energy.On leave of absence from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria     

Optical Alignment of Organic Dopants in a Solid Gel Matrix: Dispersed and Grafted Rhodamine B Molecules

We study herein the rotational mobility of organic dye molecules and their ability to align on a strong optical electric field when they are encaged in the pores of an inorganic silica xerogel matrix. We compare the case of dye molecules simply dispersed in the pores of the gel—and possibly held by hydrogen bonds—to the case of molecules chemically grafted on the inner surface of these pores through covalent bonds. The study is led on hybrid silicon-zirconium based inorganic matrices doped with organic rhodamine B molecules. The stronger holding of the dopants when these are grafted to the matrix enhances the molecular alignment—and thus the induced anisotropy—as well as the remanence of this alignment. Furthermore, we show that submitting the samples to a supplementary drying at higher temperature tends to increase both the alignment anisotropy and its stability. We explain these results in terms of mobility of the molecules, in relation to their immediate environment.