Electrochemical etching of silicon carbide

Both n- and p-type SiC of different doping levels were electrochemically etched by HF. The etch rate (up to 1.5 μm/min) and the surface morphology of p-type 6H-SiC were sensitive to the applied voltage and the HF concentration. The electrochemical valence of 6.3 ± 0.5 elementary charge per SiC molecule was determined. At p-n junctions (p-type layer on a n-type 6H-SiC substrate) a selective etching of the p-type epilayer could be achieved. For a planar 6H-4H polytype junction (n-type, both polytypes with equal doping concentrations) the 4H region was selectively etched under UV illumination. Thus polytype junctions could be marked by electrochemical etching. With HCl instead of HF no etching of SiC occurs, but a SiO₂ layer (thickness up to 8 μm) is formed by anodic oxidation. Received: 29 October 1998 / Accepted: 27 January 1999     

Die Kristallstruktur des Natriumorthogermanats,Na4GeO4

The crystal structure of the title compound has been determined from single crystal X-ray diffraction data and refined toR=0.125. The unit cell is triclinic, space group P, (No. 2),a=5.688(1),b=5.701(1),c=8.583(1) Å, =81.32(1), =71.50(1), =67.95(1)° andZ=2. The structure consists of isolated [GeO₄] tetrahedra linked together by four- and five-coordinate sodium atoms. Na₄GeO₄ is isostructural with Na₄CoO₄ (which has been described to be non-centrosymmetric and for which a centrosymmetric model is presented), K₄GeO₄, K₄SnO₄ and K₄PbO₄.

     

Self-assembly of tetrahedral and trigonal antiprismatic clusters [Fe4(L4)4] and [Fe6(L5)6] on the basis of trigonal tris-bidentate chelators

In a one-pot reaction, the tetranuclear iron chelate complex [Fe4(L4)4] 6 was generated from benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylic acid trichloride (4), bis-tert-butyl malonate (5a), methyllithium, and iron(II) dichloride under aerobic conditions. Alternatively, hexanuclear iron chelate complex [Fe(L5)6] 7 was formed starting from bis-para-tolyl malonate (5b) by employing identical reaction conditions to those applied for the synthesis of 6. The clusters 6 and 7 are present as racemic mixtures of homoconfigurational (delta,delta,delta,delta)/(lambda,lambda,lambda,lambda)-fac or (delta,delta,delta,delta,delta,delta)/(lambda,lambda,lambda,lambda,lambda,lambda)-fac stereoisomers. The structures of 6 and 7 were unequivocally resolved by single-crystal X-ray analyses. The all-iron(III) character of 6 and 7 was determined by M?ssbauer spectroscopy.     

Designed Beta‐Turn Mimic Based on the Allylic‐Strain Concept: Evaluation of Structural and Biological Features by Incorporation into a Cyclic RGD Peptide (Cyclo(‐L‐arginylglycyl‐L‐α‐aspartyl‐))

The (3R,5S,6E,8S,10R)‐11‐amino‐3,5,8,10‐tetramethylundec‐6‐enoic acid (ATUA; 1 ), which was designed as a βII′‐turn mimic according to the concepts of allylic strain and 2,4‐dimethylpentane units, was incorporated into a cyclic RGD peptide. The three‐dimensional structure of cyclo(‐RGD‐ATUA‐) (=cyclo(‐Arg‐Gly‐Asp‐ATUA‐)) 4 in H₂O was determined by NMR techniques, distance geometry calculations and molecular‐dynamics simulations. The RGD sequence of 4 shows high conformational flexibility but some preference for an extended conformation. The structural features of the RGD sequence of 4 were compared with the RGD moiety of cyclo(‐RGDfV‐) (=cyclo(‐Arg‐Gly‐Asp‐D ‐Phe‐Val‐)). In contrast to cyclo(‐RGDfV‐), which is a highly active αvβ3 antagonist and selective against αIIbβ3, cyclo(‐RGD‐ATUA‐) shows a lower activity and selectivity. The structure of the ATUA residue in the cyclic peptide resembles a βII′‐turn‐like conformation. Its middle part, adjacent to the C?C bond, strongly prefers the designed and desired structure.     

Structural characterization of chondroitin/dermatan sulfate oligosaccharides from bovine aorta by capillary electrophoresis and electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry

An analytical approach based on high-performance capillary electrophoresis (CE) in conjunction with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-QTOF-MS/MS) has been developed for providing the basis to obtain new insights into the domain structure of the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) moiety of proteoglycans. The feasibility and performance of the off-line CE/ESI-QTOF-MS approach in GAG oligosaccharide analysis were assessed by screening a chondroitin/dermatan sulfate (DS) oligosaccharide mixture obtained from bovine aorta by enzymatic depolymerization by chondroitin B lyase. The CS/DS mixture was analyzed by CE using 50 mM ammonium acetate, pH 12.0, dissolved in aqueous methanol (2:3; v/v), as a CE carrier. Structural identification of the GAG components was achieved using off-line CE/nanoESI-QTOF-MS and-MS/MS experiments. ESI-QTOF instrumental parameters were found to play an important role in the MS screening of the CE-separated GAG species. By optimizing the ESI conditions, oligosaccharides differing in chain length and degree of sulfation could be detected. The building block composition, the size of the carbohydrate chain, as well as structural features of the repeating HexA-GalNAc, HexA-GalNAc(S) units, have been determined using MS/MS by applying collision-induced dissociation at low energies. Cleavage of GAG chains by chondroitin B lyase occurs with formation of structural markers useful for identification of IdoA-containing domains.     

Immunoaffinity screening with capillary electrochromatography

Highly efficient capillary electrochromatographic separations of cardiac glycosides and other steroids are presented. Employing butyl-derivatized silica particles as stationary phase resulted in a nearly three times faster electroosmotic flow (EOF) compared to capillary electrochromatography (CEC) with octadecyl silica particles. On-column focusing with a preconcentration factor of 180 was performed and separation efficiencies of up to 240,000 plates per meter were obtained. Using label-free standard UV absorbance, detection limits of 10-80 nM were reached for all steroids tested. For screening of cardiac glycosides, e.g., digoxin and digitoxin in mixtures of steroids, CEC was combined with immunoaffinity extraction using immobilized polyclonal anti-digoxigenin antibodies and F(ab) fragments. Simply adding small amounts of antibody carrying particles to the samples and comparing chromatograms before and after antibody addition allowed screening for high affinity antigens in mixtures with moderate numbers of compounds. Under conditions of competing antigens, affinity fingerprints of immobilized anti-digoxigenin and anti-digitoxin antibodies were obtained, reflecting the cross-reactivity of eleven steroids. The method provides high selectivity due to the combination of bioaffinity interaction with highly efficient CEC separation and UV detection at several wavelengths in parallel. This selectivity was exploited for the detection of four cardiac glycosides in submicromolar concentrations in an untreated urine sample.     

Breakthrough of polymers in interactive liquid chromatography

Two separate peaks are observed for narrow polymer standards in both isocratic and gradient HPLC. One peak appears around the solvent front (the "solvent-plug peak" or "breakthrough peak"), whereas the second peak is retained significantly--or even highly. Although the effect has been observed many times before, it has never been rigorously explained. In this paper we provide a detailed explanation for the breakthrough peak. The two completely separate peaks are demonstrated not to represent to different fractions of the sample (e.g., the low- and high-molecular-mass parts of the distribution). Both peaks are representative of the entire polymeric sample for narrow polymer standard. Because the amount of the polymer in the breakthrough peak may vary, the quantitative analysis of the polymers by LC is jeopardized. The effects of the sample solvent, the (initial) mobile phase composition, the injection volume, the injected sample concentration, the column temperature, and the analyte structure and molecular mass on the breakthrough peak were investigated in LC experiments involving standards of polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate). Three necessary and sufficient conditionsare suggested for the breakthrough phenomenon to be observed. Recommendations to avoid the breakthrough phenomenon are given, culminating in a structured method for selecting the best possible sample solvents.     

Fourier transform IR product study of the reaction of CFO radicals with O2 at 298 K

Experimental results are presented of a Fourier transform IR product study at 298 K of the reaction system CFO+O₂ at oxygen pressures between 3 and 250 mbar. Pulsed photolysis of oxalyl fluoride (CFO)₂ or formyl fluoride (CHFO) at 193 nm was used to produce CFO. As stable products we detected bis-fluoroformyl peroxide, carbonyl fluoride and carbon dioxide. The yields of the peroxide and of CF₂O were measured as a function of [O₂]/[precursor] and are discussed qualitatively.