Hyperconjugative vs. d orbital effects in unsaturated silanes : I. The energy levels in para-group IV-substituted anilines

The energy levels of a series of para substituted N,N-dimethylanilines p-MH_nMe_3?n C₆H₄NMe₂ (n = 0?3, M = C or Si) for the ground and lower lying excited states have been determined in acetonitrile solution. The levels for the carbon compounds are all slightly destailized relative to N,N-dimethylaniline and the effects are rather insensitive to n. The stabilizations produced by silicon substituents on all levels are markedly affected by silicon's substituents, showing increasing perturbations with increasing n. It is concluded that variations in the interaction of the σ^* system of the silyl substituent with the aniline π system, and not d orbital interactions, account for the trends observed.     

First preparation of biotinylated gradient polyethylene surface to bind photoactive caged streptavidin

A gradient polyethylene (PE) surface was created through corona treatment, in which the corona power increased along the 5 cm length of the PE. The gradient surface was treated with polyethyleneimine and then biotin. Fluorescein-conjugated streptavidin (SAV) caged within 5-carboxymethoxy-2-nitrobenzyl (CMNB) adsorbed onto the biotinylated gradient PE surface following molecular recognition principles. Photoirradiation decomposed the CMNB cage and allowed the fluorescein-conjugated SAV to fluoresce, the intensity of which increased gradually along the PE surface.     

Lithium isotope separation by chemical exchange with polymer-bound azacrown compounds

The chromatographic separation of lithium isotopes was investigated by chemical exchange with the recently synthesized polymer-bound dibenzo pyridino diamide azacrown (DBPDA) and reduced dibenzo pyridino diamide azacrown (RDBPDA). Column chromatography was employed for the determination of the effect of solvents and ligand conformation on the separation coefficients. The maximum separation coefficients, , for the DBPDA and RDBPDA at 20.0±0.02°C with acetonitrile as eluent, were found to be 0.034±0.002 and 0.035±0.002, respectively. The isotope separation coefficient and adsorption capability of the lithium ion on the DBPDA and RDBPDA were only slightly dependent on ligand structure, but strongly dependent on the solvent. DBPDA and RDBPDA appeared to have almost the same value for the isotope separation coefficient of lithium.     

Relationship between microhardness and fluorine contents on tooth enamel determined by PIGE analysis

The remineralization effect of fluoride has been measured by surface microhardness on tooth enamel. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between microhardness and fluorine concentration on tooth enamel. Twelve sound bovine enamel specimens were prepared and immersed in 0.05% NaF solution for 1, 3, 6, 24 and 36 hours, respectively. The concentration of fluorine in specimens were measured by PIGE analysis and surface microhardness of each specimen was measured by surface microhardness tester. Fluorine concentration was increased by immersing time. There was no change in microhardness of each specimen by fluorine content. The results of this study suggest that there was no relationship between the fluorine concentration and surface microhardness in sound tooth enamel. PIGE analysis can be used effectively to assess the remineralization effect of fluorine content in tooth enamel.     

Differential pulse voltammetric determination of trace Te(IV) at a poly(3,3′-diaminobenzidine) film modified gold electrode in flow systems

Electropolymerization of 3,3′-diaminobenzidine on a gold surface gave an adherent, stable film of poly(3,3′-diaminobenzidine) (PDAB). This polymer film retained the complexational functionalities of its monomer, demonstrating preconcentration abilities for several ions, including Se(IV) and Te(IV). In particular, in this work, continuous flow and flow injection methods were developed for the sensitive and selective determination of Te(IV). The optimized method for the continuous flow mode had a detection limit of 5.6×10⁻⁹ mol l⁻¹ for 10 min preconcentration. Typical relative standard deviations for six consecutive determinations were 1.82 and 2.56% for Te(IV) concentrations of 1.0×10⁻⁶ and 5.0×10⁻⁸ mol l⁻¹, respectively (10 min preconcentration). The method was applied to the determination of Te(IV) in real samples.     

Deoxyhypusine synthase is phosphorylated by protein kinase C in vivo as well as in vitro

Deoxyhypusine synthase catalyzes the first step in the posttranslational synthesis of an unusual amino acid, hypusine, in the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A (eIF-5A) precursor protein. We earlier observed that yeast recombinant deoxyhypusine synthase was phosphorylated by protein kinase C (PKC) in vitro (Kang and Chung, 1999) and the phosphorylation rate was synergistically increased to a 3.5-fold following treatment with phosphatidylserine (P.Ser)/diacylglycerol (DAG)/ Ca(2+), suggesting a possible involvement of PKC. We have extended study on the phosphorylation of deoxyhypusine synthase in vivo in different cell lines in order to define its role on the regulation of eIF5A in the cell. Deoxyhypusine synthase was found to be phosphorylated by endogenous kinases in CHO, NIH3T3, and chicken embryonic cells. The highest degree of phosphorylation was found in CHO cells. Moreover, phosphorylation of deoxyhypusine synthase in intact CHO cells was revealed and the expression of phosphorylated deoxyhypusine synthase was significantly diminished by diacyl ethylene glycol (DAEG), a PKC inhibitor, and enhanced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) or Ca(2+)/DAG. Endogenous PKC in CHO cell and cell lysate was able to phosphorylate deoxyhypusine synthase and this modification is enhanced by PMA or Ca(2+) plus DAG. Close association of PKC with deoxyhypusine synthase in the CHO cells was evident in the immune coprecipitation and was PMA-, and Ca(2+)/phospholipid dependent. These results suggest that phosphorylation of deoxyhypusine synthase was PKC-dependent cellular event and open a path for possible regulation in the interaction with eIF5A precursor for hypusine synthesis.     

Purification of a primary coolant in a nuclear power plant using a magnetic filter - electrodeionization hybrid separation system

A magnetic filter — continuous electrodeionization (CEDI) hybrid separation system was investigated for the purification of the primary coolant in a nuclear power plant. A magnetic filter system with a 3000 Gauss magnetic field and a CEDI system with a cell consisting of 3 compartments were used for the removal of magnetite and nickel ions, respectively. The hybrid separation system achieved removal rates of 98% for magnetite and 99% for the nickel ions demonstrating its feasibility for the purification of primary coolant.The authors gratefully acknowledge the Basic Atomic Energy Research Institute (BAERI) program at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Evaluation and Planning (KISTEP) for the financial support to carry out this work.     

Sequential injection analysis system for on-line monitoring of l-cysteine concentration in biological processes

A sequential injection analysis (SIA) system was developed to monitor the concentration of l-cysteine in biological processes on-line. It is based on the redox reaction of l-cysteine with iron(III) in the presence of 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) and the detection of the red-iron(II)-phen complex with a spectrophotometry. The system was fully automated using software written in the LabVIEW™ development environment. A number of system variables such as the flow rate of the carrier buffer solution, the volume ratio of the sample to the reagents, and the reaction coil length, etc., were evaluated to increase the sensitivity and performance of the SIA system. Under partially optimized operating conditions the performance of the SIA system was linear up to a concentration of l-cysteine of 1 mM (R² = 0.998) with a detection limit of 0.005 mM and a sample frequency of 15 hr⁻¹. The SIA system was employed to monitor the concentration of l-cysteine on-line in a continuously stirred reactor and a fermentation process of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The on-line monitored data were in good agreement with the off-line data measured by a HPLC with a fluorescence detector (n = 15, R² = 09899).     

Comparative investigation on non-IPR C68 and IPR C78 fullerenes encaging Sc3N molecules

A computational study on the experimentally detected Sc(3)N@C(68) cluster is reported, involving quantum chemical analysis at the B3LYP/6-31G level. Extensive computations were carried out on the pure C(68) cage which does not conform with the isolated pentagon rule (IPR). The two maximally stable C(68) isomers were selected as initial Sc(3)N@C(68) cage structures. Full geometry optimization leads to a confirmation of an earlier assessment of the Sc(3)N@C(68) equilibrium geometry (Nature 2000, 408, 427), namely an eclipsed arrangement of Sc(3)N in the C(68) 6140 frame, where each Sc atom interacts with one pentagon pair. From a variety of theoretical procedures, a D(3h) structure is proposed for the free Sc(3)N molecule. Encapsulated into the C(68) enclosure, this unit is strongly stabilized with respect to rotation within the cage. The complexation energy of Sc(3)N@C(68) cage is found to be in the order of that determined for Sc(3)N@C(80) and exceeding the complexation energy of Sc(3)N@C(78). The cage-core interaction is investigated in terms of electron transfer from the encapsulated trimetallic cluster to the fullerene as well as hybridization between these two subsystems. The stabilization mechanism of Sc(3)N@C(68) is seen to be analogous to that operative in Sc(3)N@C(78). For both cages, C(68) and C(78), inclusion of Sc(3)N induces aromaticity of the cluster as a whole.     

Synthesis of nanosized TiO2/SiO2 particles using microwave processes and their photocatalytic activity on the decomposition of orange II

The nanosized titania and TiO₂/SiO₂ particles were prepared by the microwave-hydrothermal method. The effect of physical properties TTIP/TEOS ratio and calcination temperature has been investigated. The major phase of the pure TiO₂ particle is of the anatase structure, and a rutile peak was observed above 800°C. In TiO₂/SiO₂ particles, however, no significant rutile phase was observed, although the calcination temperature was 900°C. No peaks for the silica crystal phase were observed at either silica/titania ratio. The crystallite size of TiO₂/SiO₂ particles decreases as compared to pure TiO₂ at high calcination temperatures. The TiO₂/SiO₂ particles show higher activity on the photocatalytic decomposition of orange II as compared to pure TiO₂ particles.