An atomic diffraction theory of molecular photoionization cross sections

A theory of molecular photoionization cross sections is developed on the basis of locally atomic character of the one-electron final state in the Golden Rule expression for the molecular orbital cross section. Ionization amplitudes from several atomic centres are added and rotationally averaged to produce molecular orbital cross sections displaying a sum of pseudo-atomic cross sections weighted according to the LCAO composition of the orbital and also two-centre products reflecting interference effects. The atomic ionization amplitudes are obtained by use of an atomic central potential constructed by an inversion procedure from the form of the ground state orbital. The theory is of a simple chemical nature but usually of at least semi-quantitative accuracy. In this work we illustrate the nature of the two-centre interference effects in small diatomic molecules (H₂, HF, N₂).     

Determination of selected human pharmaceutical compounds in effluent and surface water samples by high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

A simple method is presented for the analysis of 13 pharmaceutical and pharmaceutical metabolite compounds in sewage effluents and surface waters. The pharmaceutical compounds were extracted using a genetic solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure using Phenomenex Strata X as a stationary phase. Extracts were quantitatively analysed by four separate reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) techniques and quantified by comparison with an internal standard ([13C]-phenacetin). Recoveries and limits of detection (LOD) for sulfamethoxazole (120%, 50 ng l(-1)), acetyl-sulfamethoxazole (56%, 50 ng l(-1)), trimethoprim (123%, 10 ng l(-1)), erythromycin (73%, 10 ng l(-1)), paracetamol (75%, 50 ng l(-1)), ibuprofen (117%, 20 ng l(-1)), clofibric acid (83%, 50 ng l(-1)), mefenamic acid (24%, 50 ng l(-1)), diclofenac (62%, 20 ng l(-1)), propranolol (45%, 10 ng l(-1)), dextropropoxyphene (63%, 20 ng l(-1)) and tamoxifen (42%, 10 ng l(-1)) were all acceptable. The recovery of lofepramine (4%) was too low to be of use in a monitoring programme. Application of the method to samples collected from UK sewage effluents and surface waters showed detectable concentrations of mefenamic acid, diclofenac, propranolol, erythromycin, trimethoprim and acetyl-sulfamethoxazole in both matrices. Ibuprofen and dextropropoxyphene were detected in sewage effluents alone. All other pharmaceutical compounds were below the methods limits of detection.     

The Impact of Long‐Range 1H‐15N Heteronuclear Shift Correlation Data on Computer‐Assisted Structure Elucidation: Posaconazole

Considerable work has been invested in the area of computer‐assisted structure elucidation (CASE) methods. As NMR techniques have been developed that provide more effective atom‐to‐atom connectivity information, it has become theoretically possible to do de novo structure elucidation based on 2D NMR datasets recorded for an unknown molecule. However, as annular (ring) nitrogen atoms become more prevalent in complex chemical structures, the ability to rely solely on ¹H and ¹³C homo‐ and hetero‐nuclear direct and long‐range connectivity information to solve a structure correspondingly diminishes. Hence, we now wish to report the results of an investigation into the application of CASE methods with and without long‐range ¹H‐¹⁵N data using posaconazole as a model compound, which has eight annular nitrogens in its structure. With the inclusion of ¹H‐¹⁵N data long‐range data, the structure could be successfully determined in a few hours. Excluding the ¹H‐¹⁵N data caused the program to generate millions of candidate structures, none of which fit the data well enough to be stored.     

Long-range 1H-15N heteronuclear shift correlation across wide F1 spectral windows

Long‐range ¹H? ¹⁵N heteronuclear shift correlation experiments at natural abundance are becoming more routinely utilized in the characterization of unknown chemical structures from a diverse range of sources including natural products and pharmaceuticals. Apart from the inherent challenges of the low gyromagnetic ratio and natural abundance of ¹⁵N, investigators are also occasionally hampered by having to deal with the wide spectral range inherent to various nitrogen functional groups, which can exceed 500 ppm. Earlier triple resonance cryoprobe designs typically provided 90° ¹⁵N pulses in the range of 35–40 µs, which did not allow the uniform excitation of wide F₁ spectral ranges for ¹H? ¹⁵N GHMBC spectra. We report the results obtained with a newly designed Bruker 600 MHz triple resonance TCI Micro CryoProbe? using methyl orange as a model compound, in which the ¹⁵N resonances are separated by > 450 ppm. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Uncatalyzed zirconium-mediated biphenylation of o-dihalobenzenes to form triphenylenes

The reaction of [Zr(biphe)3][(Li.(THF)4)2], where biphe is 2,2'-biphenyldiyl, with an o-dihaloarene produces a triphenylene. Two new bonds are created in this rare example of an uncatalyzed, Zr-mediated aryl-aryl bond formation. Multiple biphe fragments can be incorporated to give larger triphenylene-containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. This reaction can introduce significant strain and was demonstrated to tolerate alkyl and methoxy substituents.     

In Vivo EPR For Dosimetry

As a result of terrorism, accident, or war, populations potentially can be exposed to doses of ionizing radiation that could cause direct clinical effects within days or weeks. There is a critical need to determine the magnitude of the exposure to individuals so that those with significant risk have appropriate procedures initiated immediately, while those without a significant probability of acute effects can be reassured and removed from the need for further consideration in the medical/emergency system. In many of the plausible scenarios there is an urgent need to make the determination very soon after the event and while the subject is still present. In vivo EPR measurements of radiation-induced changes in the enamel of teeth is a method, perhaps the only such method, which can differentiate among doses sufficiently for classifying individuals into categories for treatment with sufficient accuracy to facilitate decisions on medical treatment. In its current state, the in vivo EPR dosimeter can provide estimates of absorbed dose with an error approximately +/- 50 cGy over the range of interest for acute biological effects of radiation, assuming repeated measurements of the tooth in the mouth of the subject. The time required for acquisition, the lower limit, and the precision are expected to improve, with improvements in the resonator and the algorithm for acquiring and calculating the dose. The magnet system that is currently used, while potentially deployable, is somewhat large and heavy, requiring that it be mounted on a small truck or trailer. Several smaller magnets, including an intraoral magnet are under development, which would extend the ease of use of this technique.     

An algorithm for finding factorizations of complete graphs

We show how to find a decomposition of the edge set of the complete graph into regular factors where the degree and edge‐connectivity of each factor is prescribed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 43: 132–136, 2003