Perfluorinated anion-exchange polymer mercury film electrode for anodic stripping voltammetric determination of zinc(II): effect of model organic compounds

The determination of zinc ion (1-60 ng ml⁻¹) by anodic square-wave stripping voltammetry on an anion-exchange perfluorinated polymer Tosflex mercury film electrodes (TMFE) was evaluated. The detection limit was 0.1 ng ml⁻¹ Zn(II). The effect of various organic compounds (gelatin, albumin, starch, camphor, humic acid, Triton X-100, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)) is explored. The results indicate that due to the size-exclusion and ion-exchange properties of Tosflex film, the TMFE is considerably more resistant to organic interference than the bare mercury film electrode.     

双核银络合物[Ag_2(dppm)_2(Py)_2(μ-Cl)]ClO_4的合成与结构

二-(二苯基膦)甲烷(dppm)是一种易与金属形成多核络合物的有机膦配体。我们用dppm作为配体合成了一系列银的多核络合物,并对其结构进行了研究。本文报导了其中一个双核化合物[Ag_2(dppm)_2(Py)_2(μ-Cl)]ClO_4的合成及晶体结构、分子结构的测定。     

Preparation and structural characterization of a hexanuclear molybdenum (II) cluster containing carboxylate ligands (Bu4N)2[Mo6(μ3-Cl)8(O2CMe)6]

The hexamolybdenum cluster complex [Mo₆(₃-Cl)₈(O₂CMe)₆]^2–, 1 was isolated as the Bu₄N⁺ salt in 71% yield from the reaction of (Bu₄N)₂[Mo₆(₃-Cl)₈Cl₆] with AgO₂CMe in CH₂Cl₂ solvent. The compound was characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The cluster contains an octahedral arrangement of six molybdenum atoms with eight chloride ligands bridging the eight trianglar faces and six carboxylate ligands terminally coordinated through one oxygen atom to each of the six molybdenum atoms. Crystal data: space group =P2₁/n,a=10.713(3)Å,b=14.43(1)Å,c=21.919(4)Å, =94.37(2)°,Z=2, 1965 reflections,R=0.036.     

Silica nanoparticles for separation of biologically active amines by capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced native fluorescence detection

This paper describes the analysis of biologically active amines by capillary electrophoresis (CE) in conjunction with laser-induced native fluorescence detection. In order to simultaneously analyze amines and acids as well as to achieve high sensitivity, 10 mM formic acid solutions (pH < 4.0) containing silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) were chosen as the background electrolytes. With increasing SiNP concentration, the migration times for seven analytes decrease as a result of increase in electroosmotic flow (EOF) and decrease in their electrophoretic mobilities against EOF. A small EOF generated at pH 3.0 reveals adsorption of SiNPs on the deactivated capillary wall. The decreases in electrophoretic mobilities with increasing SiNP concentration up to 0.3x indicate the interactions between the analytes and the SiNPs. Having a great sensitivity (the limits of detection at a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) = 3 of 0.09 nM for tryptamine (TA)), high efficiency, and excellent reproducibility (less than 2.4% of the migration times), this developed method has been applied to the analysis of urinal samples with the concentrations of 0.50 +/- 0.02 microM, 0.49 +/- 0.04 microM, and 74 +/- 2 microM for TA, 5-hydroxytryptamine, and tryptophan, respectively. The successful examples demonstrated in this study open up a possibility of using functional nanoparticles for the separation of different analytes by CE.     

Room-temperature ferroelectric and ferroelastic orders coexisting in a new tetrafluoroborate-based perovskite

The coexistence of multiferroic orders has attracted increasing attention for its potential applications in multiple-state memory, switches, and computing, but it is still challenging to design single-phase crystalline materials hosting multiferroic orders at above room temperature. By utilizing versatile ABX₃-type perovskites as a structural model, we judiciously introduced a polar organic cation with easily changeable conformations into a tetrafluoroborate-based perovskite system, and successfully obtained an unprecedented molecular perovskite, (homopiperazine-1,4-diium)[K(BF₄)₃], hosting both ferroelectricity and ferroelasticity at above room temperature. By using the combined techniques of variable-temperature single-crystal X-ray structural analyses, differential scanning calorimetry, and dielectric, second harmonic generation, and piezoresponse force microscopy measurements, we demonstrated the domain structures for ferroelectric and ferroelastic orders, and furthermore disclosed how the delicate interplay between stepwise changed dynamics of organic cations and cooperative deformation of the inorganic framework induces ferroelectric and ferroelastic phase transitions at 311 K and 455 K, respectively. This instance, together with the underlying mechanism of ferroic transitions, provides important clues for designing advanced multiferroic materials based on organic–inorganic hybrid crystals.

An unprecedented tetrafluoroborate-based perovskite reveals the coexistence of ferroelastic and ferroelectric transitions arising from delicate interplay between stepwise frozen organic cations and cooperative deformation of the framework.     

Synthetic alpha-mannosyl ceramide as a potent stimulant for an NKT cell repertoire bearing the invariant Valpha19-Jalpha26 TCR alpha chain

A NKT cell repertoire is characterized by the expression of the Valpha19-Jalpha26 invariant TCR alpha chain (Valpha19 NKT cell). This repertoire, as well as a well-established Valpha14-Jalpha281 invariant TCR alpha(+) NKT cell subset (Valpha14 NKT cell), has been suggested to have important roles in the regulation of the immune system and, thus, is a major therapeutic target. Here, we attempted to find specific antigens for Valpha19 NKT cells. Valpha19 as well as Valpha14 NKT cells exhibited reactivity to alpha-galactosyl ceramide (alpha-GalCer). Thus, a series of monoglycosyl ceramides with an axially oriented glycosidic linkage between the sugar and ceramide moiety were synthesized and their antigenicity to Valpha19 NKT cells was determined by measuring their immune responses in culture with glycolipids. Comprehensive examinations revealed substantial antigenic activity for Valpha19 NKT cells by alpha-mannosyl ceramide.     

Hybrid polymerization of iso-butyl vinyl ether

The radiation-induced hybrid polymerization in the presence of the N-alkoxypyridinium salt having relatively stable nonnucleophilic anion (PF₆⁻) has been investigated in the paper. Based on the analysis of experimental data and the GPC spectrum, the onium salts not only oxidize -alkoxyalkyl radicals, produced from IBVE in dichloromethane by irradiation, to the corresponding cations, but also give nonnucleophilic anions PF₆⁻ for the polymerization system. The experimental results clearly demonstrate that free radical and cationic polymerization mechanisms occurred simultaneously in IBVE/EMP⁺PF₆⁻/CH₂Cl₂ systems on irradiation with γ-ray.     

Ab Initio Study of Prednisolone, 6α-Fluoroprednisolone, 9α-Fluoroprednisolone,and 6α,9α-Difluoroprednisolone

A theoretical study of prednisolone, 6-fluoroprednisolone, 9-fluoroprednisolone, and 6,9-difluoroprednisolone has been performed at the ab initio HF/6-31G, MP2/6-31G, and B3LYP/6-31G levels. Structural information and the electronic features of prednisolone and its derivatives and the synergistic effect of 6,9-difluoroprednisolone was examined. Contrary to the AM1 and MNDO results, we found 9-fluoroprednisolone is more stable than the 6-fluoroprednisolone. The increased corticosteroid activity of the 6,9-difluoroprednisolone is most likely due to electronic effects, mainly related to the receptor binding.     

Facile solvent-free synthesis of pure-phased AlN nanowhiskers at a low temperature

Pure hexagonal aluminum nitride (AlN) nanowhiskers have been successfully synthesized by directly reacting AlCl₃ with NaN₃ in non-solvent system at the low temperature of 450 °C for 24 h. The obtained products are characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction, which show that the obtained products are hexagonal phase AlN nanowhiskers with width from 10 to 80 nm and length up to several micrometers. The influencing factors of the formation of AlN nanowhiskers were discussed and a possible growth mechanism for AlN nanowhiskers was proposed. Additionally, the study on the corresponding optical properties and catalytic properties is also carried out.     

LyP-1 peptide-functionalized gold nanoprisms for SERRS imaging and tumor growth suppressing by PTT induced-hyperthermia

The gold nanoprisms (GNPs) have exhibited special plasmonic properties for biomedical applications because of their unique shapes and dimensions. Based on their optical performance, the NIR dye IR780 not only enabled the GNPs-based nanosystem as SERRS nanoparticles for Raman-encoded molecular imaging, but also enhanced the plasmonic photothermal property by laser irradiation. Meanwhile, the GNPs/IR780-Lyp-1 by introduction of tumor-homing peptide segment LyP-1, which presents high affinity to p32 protein, demonstrated the increased enrichment in tumor region and enhanced photothermal therapy efficacy.