Synthesis of a novel 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid derivative

A novel compound, biotinylated 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (BGA), was synthesized. It is a compound of 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid linked with biotin. Published in Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 3, pp. 266–267, May–June, 2006. An erratum to this article is available at .     

Total synthesis of (+)-aspidospermidine: a new strategy for the enantiospecific synthesis of aspidosperma alkaloids

A new strategy was developed for the enantiospecific synthesis of aspidosperma alkaloids. The key steps involve a novel ketene-lactonization reaction of a chiral vinyl sulfoxide to efficiently set up the quaternary carbon center, and a tandem Michael addition-alkylation reaction sequence to form the polycyclic core structure. This new strategy was employed in the total synthesis of natural product (+)-aspidospermidine.     

Investigations on adsorption potentiometry-part VIII. Determination of ultratrace copper in food by derivative adsorption chronopotentiometry

An electroanalytical method, based on derivative chronopotentiometry of the copper complex with 4-[(4-diethylamino-2-hydroxyphenyl) azo]-5-hydroxy-naphthalene-2,7-disulphonic acid (Beryllon III) accumulated on the surface of a hanging mercury drop electrode, for determining trace copper in food has been developed. The dependence of the peak height of reduction of the copper complex on the preconcentration time and preconcentration potential are discussed. Optimum experimental conditions include 0.01 M HOAc, 0.01M NaOAc, 1.0 x 10(-6) Beryllon III and a preconcentration potential of 0.10 V (vs. SCE). Under these conditions the detection limit and the linear range are 4 x 10(-11)M and 6 x 10(-11) -4 x 10(-7)M, respectively. The method was applied to samples of digested rice.     

Dye-sensitized solar cells based on composite solid polymer electrolytes

The ionic conductivity of polymer electrolytes and their interfacial contact with dye-attached TiO2 particles were enhanced markedly by the addition of amorphous oligomer into polymer electrolytes, resulting in very high overall energy conversion efficiency.     

A spectroscopic study of cobalt(III) furyldioximates

Summary The electronic properties of a series of cobalt(III)trans-furyldioximato-complexes of the type [CoB(FH)₂X] (B=NH₃, X=Cl, Br, I or NO₂; B=pyridine (py) or thiocarbamide (thio), X=Cl or Br; B=imidazole (imid), X=Br), [Co(FH₂)(FH)Cl₂] and [Co(thio)₂(FH)₂]NO₃ were studied by i.r., u.v. and¹H and¹³C n.m.r. spectra The results were compared with those from the corresponding dimethylglyoximato-complexes. It was concluded that -conjugation over the equatorial plane in the furyldioximates is greater than in the dimethylglyoximates. There is some evidence of thetrans-influence of the anionic ligands in the ammines which are in the order NO ₂ ^– >Br^–>Cl^–.     

K对Mn—Co—O的结构及氧化活性的影响

利用XRD,TPD,TFD-MS及催化氧化反应等实验技术,研究了K对Mn-Co-O的结构及氧化活性的影响。XRD结果表明,Mn-Co-O系已形成反尖晶石型的MnCo_2O_4结构;K-Mn-Co-O系中除MnCo_2O_4型结构外,还有新相KMnO_2存在。根据O_2的TPD-MS及吡啶的TPD结果,Mn-Co-O中添加适量的K能提高供氧活性和增加供氧数目,但酸中心数目减少,强度降低。K对Mn-Co—O催化剂氧化活性的影响随反应物分子结构的不同而异,对乙酸乙脂、苯甲酰氯等极性有机物的完全氧化反应,K能提高氧化活性,但对苯、正己烷等非极性有机物的完全氧化反应,K使其活性降低。     

新型重整催化剂的研究—Pt／BaKL型沸石中钡的作用

本文采用XRD,NH_3-TPD,IR以及TEM等方法考察了Pt/BaKL沸石中Ba~(2+)的作用。NH_3-TPD结果表明,交换Ba~(2+)后的L型沸石的酸性,由于阳离子的作用仅在弱酸范围内有些改变,但与载铂的沸石的催化活性无明显的对应关系。IR及XRD谱线表明,BaKL沸石中Ba~(2+)在最佳交换度(26.3%)时,随预培烧温度的提高,使Ba~(2+)处于沸石孔道中B、C、D位置,接近于最佳分布,此时IR谱线上1421cm~(-1)处有一新峰。当沸石负载铂后,因铂与Ba~(2+)的相互作用,新峰消失,导致铂粒在沸石上分布更加均匀;铂粒在1.5—3.0nm之间占有最大比例,使得Pt/BaKL沸石呈现芳构化活性及选择性高于Pt/KL沸石,分别为～98%和～95%。     

Fibrous crystalline hydrogels formed from polymers possessing a linear poly(ethyleneimine) backbone

Novel thermoreversible physical hydrogels formed from polymers with linear and star architectures possessing a linear poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) backbone have been investigated. The hydrogelation occurred simply upon natural cooling of hot aqueous solutions of PEIs to room temperature. The X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry measurements for the resultant hydrogels unambiguously indicated that the hydrogelation originated from the formation of dihydrate crystalline structures of PEI. These crystalline hydrogels are structurally unique and hierarchical. Microscopic images revealed that the morphologies of the crystalline hydrogels depend on their molecular architectures. The linear PEI resulted in branched fibrous bundles organized by unit crystalline nanofibers with a width of ca. 5-7 nm. The six-armed star with benzene ring core produced fanlike fibrous bundles while the four-armed star with porphyrin core assembled into asterlike aggregates. The critical concentration of gelation (C(G)) was low (about 0.2 approximately 0.3%) and the thermoreversible gel-sol transition temperatures (T(G)) were controllable from approximately 43 to approximately 79 degrees C. The hydrogels formed in the presence of the various aqueous additives including organic solvents, hydrophilic polymers, physical cross-linker, chemical cross-linker, and base enabling modification and functionalization during synthesis. The mechanical properties of the hydrogels could be improved by chemical cross-linking of preformed hydrogels by glutaraldehyde. Physically and physical/chemical cross-linked hydrogels served as excellent template roles in biomimetic silicification, which produced silica-PEI hybrid powder or monolith constructed by nanofibers.     

What controls the melting properties of DNA-linked gold nanoparticle assemblies?

We report a series of experiments and a theoretical model designed to systematically define and evaluate the relative importance of nanoparticle, oligonucleotide, and environmental variables that contribute to the observed sharp melting transitions associated with DNA-linked nanoparticle structures. These variables include the size of the nanoparticles, the surface density of the oligonucleotides on the nanoparticles, the dielectric constant of the surrounding medium, target concentration, and the position of the nanoparticles with respect to one another within the aggregate. The experimental data may be understood in terms of a thermodynamic model that attributes the sharp melting to a cooperative mechanism that results from two key factors: the presence of multiple DNA linkers between each pair of nanoparticles and a decrease in the melting temperature as DNA strands melt due to a concomitant reduction in local salt concentration. The cooperative melting effect, originating from short-range duplex-to-duplex interactions, is independent of DNA base sequences studied and should be universal for any type of nanostructured probe that is heavily functionalized with oligonucleotides. Understanding the fundamental origins of the melting properties of DNA-linked nanoparticle aggregates (or monolayers) is of paramount importance because these properties directly impact one's ability to formulate high sensitivity and selectivity DNA detection systems and construct materials from these novel nanoparticle materials.     

Cellulose hydrolysis using zinc chloride as a solvent and catalyst

Cellulose gel with < 10% of crystallinity was prepared by treatment of microcrystalline cellulose, Avicel, with zinc chloride solution at a ratio of zinc chloride to cellulose from 1.5 to 18 (w/w). The presence of zinc ions in the cellulose gels enhanced the rate of hydrolysis and glucose yield. The evidence obtained from X-ray diffraction, iodine absorption experiments; and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectra analysis suggested the presence of zinc-cellulose complex after Avicel was treated with zinc chloride. Zinc-cellulose complex was more susceptible to hydrolysis than amorphous cellulose. Under the experimental condition, cellulose gels with zinc ions were hyrolyzed to glucose with 95% theoretical yield and a concentration of 14% (w/v) by cellulases within 20 h. The same gel was hydrolyzed by acid to glucose with 91.5% yield and a concentration of 13.4% (w/v).