Application of a novel 1,1′-dimethylferricinimum dye for the determination of uric acid in urine

Water-soluble 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (Hp-β-CyD), a cyclic and nonreducing oligosaccharide was used to enclose a hydrophobic guest molecule 1,1′-dimethylferrocene (DMF) to form a water-soluble yellow complex. At high concentrations (300 mM), Hp-β-CyD enclosed up to 100 mM DMF. The yellow complex was electrochemically oxidized (platinum vs Ag/AgCl poised at +450 mV) to form a blue dye, 1,1′-dimethylferricinium (DMF⁺). This is a one-electron transfer process and the ferricinium cation formed exhibited an absorption peak at 650 nm. The concentrated DMF⁺ was stable for at least 4 mo at 4°C and insensitive to a wide pH variation (pH 2–11). Application of the novel DMF⁺ complex as a colorimetric dye for the determination of uric acid in urine was successfully demonstrated. The reaction between the dye and uric acid is almost instantaneous and decrease in absorbance caused by the reduction of 1,1′-dimethylferricinium to 1,1′-dimethylferrocene can be followed at 650 nm. The results obtained agreed well with those of the reference reversed-phase HPLC method.     

Electrophoretic separation of aniline derivatives using fused silica capillaries coated with acid treated single-walled carbon nanotubes

This paper reports on a new strategy for coating fused silica capillaries based on the ionic adsorption of acid treated single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) on a poly(diallydimethylammonium chloride)-modified fused silica surface. The coated capillaries were used to demonstrate their performance for baseline separation of a mixture of seven nitrogen-containing aromatic compounds compared to capillary zone electrophoresis. This combined layer formed a coating material that could be useful for improvement of the selectivity of the solutes in an electrical field. We reasoned that the interaction of the solutes and the modified capillary wall occurred mainly via ionic interactions with the charged moieties of CNTs. The single-walled CNT modified capillaries were very stable and could be used for over 200 repeated analyses without compromising its analytical performance.     

Thermodynamics of Mixtures Excess Volumes and Energies of Mixing of Cycloalkane Mixtures (Cyclopentane to Cyclooctane)

The volumes of mixing for the systems cyclopentane + cyclohexane, cyclopentane + cycloheptane, cyclohexane + cycloheptane (at 20°C), and cyclopentane + cyclooctane, cyclohexane + cyclooctane, cycloheptane + cyclooctane (at 30 °C) have been measured with a dilatometer. All systems show volume contractions, except the first. The energies of mixing are also given. They vary from 7 to 55 J/mol for equimolar solutions.     

Stabilization and size control of gold nanoparticles during laser ablation in aqueous cyclodextrins

Femtosecond laser radiation has been used to ablate a gold target in aqueous beta-cyclodextrin (CD) solutions to produce stable gold nanoparticle colloids with extremely small size (2 to 2.4 nm) and size dispersion (1 to 1.5 nm). On the basis of XPS and zeta-potential measurements, we propose a model involving chemical interactions between the gold and the CDs. The model includes both the hydrophobic interaction of the Au0 with the interior cavity of the CD and the hydrogen bonding of O- groups on the partially oxidized gold surface with -OH groups of the CDs.     

On the generalized Cauchy-Riemann systems

The factorization of the Laplacian by means of first order systems and of second order operators was considered by several authors (see, e.g [2],[3],[4]). In the paper the definition of Cauchy-Riemann system (CR-system) of ordern is given by their symbols. We prove that ifD ⁽ⁿ⁾ is the symbol andD ^{(s, n)} is the sign-matrix of CR-system, then