Thermal and mass spectrometric fragmentation of esters of deuterated long chain carboxylic acids

A method combining thermal fragmentation and mass spectrometry for the determination of the position of double bonds in an unsaturated ester is presented. The thermal fragmentation of methyl esters of deuterated long chain carboxylic acids yields a homologous series of olefins plus a homologous series of unsaturated esters. The positions of the deuterium atoms in the original ester are revealed by the deuterium content of its fragments as determined by mass spectrometry. Therefore, the positions of double bonds of a polyunsaturated acid can be determined by pyrolysis after saturation by deuterium. The structures of the unsaturated fragments are ascertained by mass spectrometric method, and the formation of the ion [M – 32] in the mass spectrometric fragmentation of unsaturated methyl esters is studied by means of deuterium labeling.     

TOSAR – A Topological Method for the Representation of Synthetic and Analytical Relations of Concepts

In mechanized systems used for searching in literature stores there is a steadily growing necessity not only to be able to formulate concepts as a search condition but also the characteristic connections under which these concepts appear in the inquiry. In this way the precision of the mechanized literature search is considerably increased. TOSAR has been developed in order to improve computerized literature searching in this respect.     

Kinetisch-katalytische Bestimmungen in einem zweiphasensystem unter verwendung eines fallrohres

A rather simple method for kinetic-catalytic determinations is described, in which the reactants are dissolved in two immiscible liquid phases. Drops of the heavier phase fall through the lighter one contained in a vertical glass tube. As the drops fall, the reactants come into contact with each other at the interface, thus causing a change in the drops. The length of fall needed for completion of reaction is a measure of the concentration of the catalyst (e.g., decolorization of the drops in the determination of copper by the reaction between iron(III) and thiosulphate). If a gaseous reaction product is formed (e.g., N₂ or O₂) and adsorbed on the falling drop, then the drop stops falling and rises again. The depth of fall or the time needed for the drop to return to the upper end of the tube can be used as a measure for the concentration of catalyst (e.g., determination of thiosulphate with the iodine/azide reaction, or of copper as catalyst for the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide).