High-Temperature Synchrotron X-Ray Powder Diffraction Study of the Orthorhombic-Tetragonal Phase Transition in La0.63(Ti0.92,Nb0.08)O3

The crystal structure of La_0.63(Ti_0.92,Nb_0.08)O₃ has been refined by the Rietveld analysis of CuKα X-ray powder diffraction data collected at 23°C. This material was confirmed to have an A-site deficient orthorhombic perovskite-type structure with double ideal perovskite ABO₃ units along the c-axis (space group Pmmm, Z=2, a=3.86036(5) Å, b=3.87222(5) Å, c=7.82609(9) Å). Lattice parameters of the same sample have been investigated in situ in the temperature range from 25°C to 496°C by 1.37873(3) Å synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction. The synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction technique was found to be very powerful to determine precise lattice parameters around a phase transition temperature. This compound exhibited a reversible phase transition between the orthorhombic and tetragonal phases at around 370°C. (1) The lattice parameters increased continuously with temperature, while the b/a ratio decreased continuously with temperature and became unity at the orthorhombic-tetragonal transition point. (2) No hysteresis was observed in the lattice parameter values between heating and cooling. These results of (1) and (2) suggest that the orthorhombic-tetragonal phase transition is continuous.     

Preparation of thermo-responsive polymer brushes on hydrophilic polymeric beads by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization for a highly resolutive separation of peptides

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-N-tert-butylacrylamide) [P(IPAAm-co-tBAAm)] brushes were prepared on poly(hydroxy methacrylate) (PHMA) [hydrolyzed poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate)] beads having large pores by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and applied to the stationary phases of thermo-responsive chromatography. Optimized amount of copolymer brushes grafted PHMA beads were able to separate peptides and proteins with narrow peaks and a high resolution. The beads were found to have a specific surface area of 43.0 m²/g by nitrogen gas adsorption method. Copolymer brush of P(IPAAm-co-tBAAm) grafted PHMA beads improved the stationary phase of thermo-responsive chromatography for the all-aqueous separation of peptides and proteins.     

Rhodium-tris(3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)phosphine catalyzed hydroformylation of dienes to dialdehydes in supercritical carbon dioxide with high activity

Rhodium-catalyzed hydroformylation of 1,5-hexadiene and 1,7-octadiene to corresponding dialdehydes was investigated in compressed CO₂ and in toluene using different fluorinated phosphine compounds as ligands. A rhodium complex using tris(3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)phosphine is highly effective in compressed CO₂ for double hydroformylation of 1,5-hexadiene, whose TOF value is much larger than those reported so far. It has been shown that this ligand is effective also for the hydroformylation of 1,7-octadiene and scCO₂ is a better solvent than a conventional organic solvent of toluene for the title reaction.     

Reverse‐Selective Microporous Membrane for Gas Separation

Sort the bigs from the smalls : Reverse‐selective membranes, through which bigger molecules selectively permeate, are attractive for developing chemical processes. A new adsorption‐based reverse‐selective membrane that utilizes a Na cation occluded in a zeolitic framework is presented. The membrane developed enables the selective permeation and separation of bigger polar molecules, such as methanol and water, from hydrogen above 473 K.

     

Semi-micro-monolithic columns using macroporous silica rods with improved performance

Monolithic silica columns in semi-micro-format have been synthesized using poly(acrylic acid) as a phase-separation inducer via a sol–gel route. The absence of a thick skin layer accompanied by deformation of the micrometer-sized gelling skeletons on the outermost part of the macroporous silica rod contributed to improve the efficiency of monolithic silica columns as thick as 2.4 mm in diameter. The kinetic plot analysis revealed that monolithic silica columns with macropore diameter of 1 μm and skeleton thickness of 1 μm with decreased macroporosity behave similarly to columns packed with 3 μm particles with slightly lower back pressure.     

Aigialomycins and related polyketide metabolites from the mangrove fungus Aigialus parvus BCC 5311

Reinvestigation of the secondary metabolites from the marine mangrove fungus Aigialus parvus BCC 5311 led to the isolation of six new nonaketide metabolites, aigialomycins F (4) and G (5a/5b), 7′,8′-dihydroaigialospirol (7), 4′-deoxy-7′,8′-dihydroaigialospirol (8), and rearranged macrolides 9 and 10, along with six previously described compounds, hypothemycin (1), aigialomycins A (2) and B (3), aigialospirol (6), 4-O-demethylhypothemycin (11), and aigialone (12). The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by analyses of the NMR spectroscopic and mass spectrometry data in combination with chemical means.     

Determination of Fusarium mycotoxins by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry coupled with immunoaffinity extraction

A method for the simultaneous quantitative determination of deoxynivalenol (DON), T‐2 toxin (T‐2), HT‐2 toxin (HT‐2) and zearalenone (ZEN) in wheat and biscuit by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI‐MS/MS) coupled with immunoaffinity extraction is described. A clean‐up was carried out using a DZT MS‐PREP® immunoaffinity column (IAC), and the effect of the sample dilution rate and sample loading was investigated. Furthermore, the effects of ion suppression of a multifunctional column (MFC) and the IAC in the clean‐up were compared. The results with the DZT MS‐PREP® IAC showed that it is possible to make the sample dilution rate low, and indicated a higher solvent‐tolerance than usual with an IAC. Sample loading was optimized at 0.25 g. Ion suppression was lowered by purification of the toxins using the DZT MS‐PREP® IAC. Recoveries of each mycotoxin from wheat and biscuit samples spiked at two levels ranged from 78 to 109%. The limits of detection in wheat and biscuit was in the range of 0.03–0.33 ng·g^?1. From these studies, it is suggested that use of an IAC is effective in the clean‐up of each mycotoxin, and, when combined with LC/ESI‐MS/MS, it is good for the determination of mycotoxins in foodstuffs due to its rapidity and high sensitivity. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reversible pH-induced transformation of micellar aggregates between hemicylinders and laterally homogeneous layers at graphite-solution interfaces

pH-induced transformation between a hemicylindrical aggregate and a laterally homogeneous layer at the graphite-solution interface was demonstrated in micellar aggregates of dodecyldimethylamine oxide (C12DMAO) using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Nonionic C12DMAO (pH~8) and fully-ionized cationic C12DMAO (pH~1.5) both formed hemicylindrical aggregates on graphite, similar to aggregates formed by many other ionic (or nonionic) surfactants on graphite. However, a laterally homogeneous layer was observed in the case of nearly half-ionized C12DMAO around pH~4 (a 1:1 mixture of the nonionic and the cationic species). These results indicated that the surface curvature of the C12DMAO aggregates on graphite was the smallest around the degree of ionization =0.5, despite charging up the nonionic hemicylindrical aggregates. Using AFM images and the corresponding force curves, the transformation between the hemicylindrical aggregate and the laterally homogeneous layer was found to be reversible via a change in pH. The formation of the laterally homogeneous layer of nearly half-ionized C12DMAO is explained by hydrogen bond formation between the nonionic and the cationic headgroups.     

Chiral supramolecular polymers formed by host-guest interactions

alpha-Cyclodextrin with a p-t-butoxyaminocinnamoylamino group in the 3-position (3-p-(t)()BocCiNH-alpha-CD) has been found to form a supramolecular polymer in an aqueous solution. The degree of polymerization of the supramolecular polymer is higher than 15 at 20 mM, as proved by VPO (vapor pressure osmometry) measurements and turbo ion spray TOF MS measurements. The existence of substitution/substitution interactions between adjacent monomers of the supramolecular polymer have been confirmed by the observation of positive and negative Cotton bands in circular dichroism spectra. The mechanism for the induction of the chirality was confirmed using model compounds. The substituents were found to exist as a left-handed anti configuration in supramolecular polymers. The supramolecular polymer was found to take a helical structure. The structure of the supramolecular polymer was observed by STM measurements.     

Patterning the surface cytophobicity of an albumin-physisorbed substrate by electrochemical means

Spatiotemporal control of surface properties under physiological conditions such as those found in culture media is an important technique in fundamental cell biology, tissue engineering, and cell-based bioelectronics. To this end, we have developed a mild, wet cellular micropatterning technique. The principle of the technique is based on the fact that the cell-repellant property of the albumin-coated substrate rapidly switches to cell-adhesive upon exposure to the reactive oxidizing agent, electrochemically generated hypobromous acid. Herein, we report the effect of the hypobromous acid on serum albumin physisorbed on a hydrophobic substrate. It was found that albumin molecules detach from the substrate by application of the oxidizing agent, resulting in exposure of the underlying hydrophobic surface to the liquid phase. The adsorption of extracellular matrix proteins such as fibronectin onto the hydrophobic surface induces cell adhesion and growth.