Mutual storage mode ion/ion reactions in a hybrid linear ion trap

Ion/ion proton transfer reactions involving mutual storage of both ion polarities in a linear ion trap (LIT) that comprises part of a hybrid triple quadrupole/linear ion trap mass spectrometer have been effected. Mutual ion storage in the x- and y-dimensions arises from the normal operation of the oscillating quadrupole field of the quadrupole array, while storage in the z-dimension is enabled by applying unbalanced radio-frequency amplitudes to opposing sets of rods of the array. Efficient trapping (>90%) is achieved for thermalized ions over periods of several seconds. Reactions were demonstrated for multiply charged protein/peptide cations formed by electrospray with anions derived from glow discharge ionization of perfluoro(methyldecalin) (PMD) introduced from the side of the LIT rod array. Doubly and singly charged protein ions are readily formed via ion/ion reactions. The parameters that affect ion/ion reactions are discussed, including the degree of RF unbalance on the LIT rods, vacuum pressure, nature of the buffer gas, reaction time, anion abundance, and the low mass cutoff for ion/ion reaction. The present system has a demonstrated upper mass-to-charge ratio limit of at least 33,000. The system also has high flexibility with respect to defining MS(n) experiments involving both collision-induced dissociation (CID) and ion/ion reactions. Experiments are demonstrated involving beam-type CID in the pressurized collision quadrupole (Q2) followed by ion/ion reactions involving the product ions in the LIT. Ion parking experiments are also demonstrated using the mutual storage ion/ion reaction mode in the LIT, with a parking efficiency over 60%.     

H2 generation during dry grinding of kaolinite

H2 generation during mechanochemical treatment of kaolinite by dry grinding was examined by X-ray diffraction analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and BET surface area measurement. The H2 concentration in the mill pot, measured by gas chromatography, increased with grinding time up to a maximum concentration of 156 ppm (0.35 micromol) after 600 min. This H2 generation is considered to occur as a result of three processes: (1) structural destruction characterized by the delamination and loss of hydroxyl groups as a result of dry grinding, (2) transformation of liberated hydroxyls into water molecules by mechanochemical effects such as prototropy, and (3) H2 generation through reaction between surface water molecules and mechanoradicals created by the rupture of Si-O or Al-O-Si bonds. Although the surface area plateaued after 240 min grinding, the H2 concentration continued to increase, indicating that surface mechanoradicals are created during this later grinding stage. Thus, H2 generation can be used as an indicator of mechanoradical formation during mechanochemical treatment.     

On a 3-D representation of DNA primary sequences

We introduce a graphical representation of DNA primary sequences by taking four special vectors in a 3-D space to represent the four nucleic acid bases in DNA sequences, so that a DNA primary sequence is denoted in a 3-D space by a successive vector sequence which is a directed walk on the space. It is demonstrated that this representation has no overlap and intersection and allows numerical characterization.     

合成甲醇的催化剂Rh-ZnO/MWNTs的研究

研究新型的由多壁碳纳米管(MWNTs)负载的， ZnO助催的铑基甲醇合成催化剂. 当铑含量达到4％(w)时，催化剂具有较高的比表面积(99.6 m2•g－1), 催化剂的反应活化能为68.8 kJ•mol－1.在563 K, 1 MPa下，催化剂的最高催化活性和甲醇选择性分别为411.4 mg/gcat.•h和96.7％. TEM、TPR和TPD等表征结果显示，碳纳米管能增加Rh在催化剂表面的分散度，提高催化剂的还原温度并能增加氢物种的吸附量，这些结果将有助于更好地了解催化剂中各组分间的协同作用和催化活性中心本质.     

Pharmacokinetic detection of penicillin excreted in urine using a totally internally reflected resonance light scattering technique with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide

A quantitative analysis method for penicillins including ampicillin (AmP), benzyl penicillin (BP), oxacillin (OA) and amoxycillin (AmO) is proposed that makes use of the totally internally reflected resonance light scattering (TIR-RLS) signal from the penicillin at the H₂O/CCl₄ interface in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTMAB), and enables the pharmacokinetics of penicillin taken orally and excreted through urine to be monitored. Penicillin is coadsorbed with CTMAB at the H₂O/CCl₄ interface in neutral solution, resulting in the formation of ion associates that display greatly enhanced TIR-RLS signals (maximum at 368–372 nm). This enhanced TIR-RLS intensity was found to be proportional to the penicillin concentration over the range 0.2×10^–6 to 2.2×10^–6 mol L^–1, with limits of determination (3) of 5.0×10^–8 to 7.0×10^–8 mol L^–1. Pharmacokinetics studies performed using the present method show that the excretion of orally-taken ampicillin through urine has a half-time of 1.05 h and an excremental quantum over 8 h of 49.3%, respectively.     

Basic peptides as functional components of non-viral gene transfer vehicles

Improving the performance of non-viral gene-delivery vehicles that consist of synthetic compounds and nucleic acids is a key to successful gene therapy. Supplementing synthetic vehicles with various biological functions by using natural or artificial peptides is a promising approach with which to achieve this goal. One of the obstacles hindering this effort is that some of the potentially useful peptides, especially those with many basic amino acid residues, interfere with the formation of the complex owing to strong electrostatic interactions with the nucleic acid. In this review, we describe our recent work in examining the potential of these peptides in gene delivery, using a recombinant lambda phage particle as the model for the gene-delivery complex. Lambda phage encapsulates large duplex DNA in a rigid polyplex-like shell with a diameter of 55 nm, and can display various peptides on this capsid, independently of particle formation. By examining the expression of marker genes encapsulated in the phage capsid, we have demonstrated that the protein transduction domain of HIV Tat protein and the nuclear localization signal derived from SV40 T antigen can remarkably facilitate the delivery of these marker genes across the two major barriers, the cell membrane and the nuclear membrane, respectively. Our results indicate that these basic peptides can constitute effective components of synthetic gene-transfer complexes, as long as sufficient copies are displayed on the outer surface of the complex.     

Quantitative Non-Covalent Functionalization of Carbon Nanotubes

We report a convenient method for quantitative non-covalent functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) with phthalocyanine (Pc) compounds, in which a surface coverage of 49% was achieved. The effect of several process parameters on the functionalization process was elucidated. Firstly, as-produced SWNT gave the largest extent of functionalization compared with purified SWNT and as-produced multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNT). Secondly, the extent of functionalization was sensitive to the specific molecular structures of the Pc compounds. Finally, in terms of solvent selection, dimethylformamide (DMF) was found to give the largest extent of functionalization, which is then followed by chloroform (CHCl₃) and 1,2-dichlorobenzene (ODCB). The method reported in this paper provides new insights on the interactions between Pc molecules and carbon nanotubes and paves the way for rational control of the degree of functionalization, which is an important step from the perspective of carbon nanotube applications. Electronic supplementary material Supplementary material for this article is avilable at and is accessible for authorised users.     

Synthesis,structure, and DNA cleavage activity of new trinuclear Zn(3) and Zn(2)Cu complexes of a chiral macrocycle: structural correlation with the active center of P1 nuclease

New homo trinuclear Zn(II) complexes [Zn(3)L(1)(micro-OAc)](ClO(4))(2).3CHCl(3).H(2)O, 1, and [Zn(3)L(1)(micro-OAc)].ClO(4).PF(6).5CH(3)OH.H(2)O, 2, and hetero trinuclear complex [Zn(2)CuL(1)(micro-OAc)](ClO(4))(2).3CHCl(3).H(2)O,3, of optically active hexaaza triphenolic macrocycle H(3)L(1) were synthesized and crystallographically characterized. The cation [Zn(3)L(1)(micro-OAc)](+) structure of 1 and 2 closely resembles the trinuclear Zn(II) active site of P1 nuclease. The distorted tetrahedral geometry of Zn3 was successfully reproduced at Cu1 in complex 3. The complexes 2 and 3 cleave CT DNA at 37 and 50 degrees C.     

Manipulating the electronic structures of silicon carbide nanotubes by selected hydrogenation

We show that the electronic and atomic structures of silicon carbide nanotubes (SiCNTs) undergo dramatic changes with hydrogenation from first-principles calculations based on density-functional theory. The exo-hydrogenation of a single C atom results in acceptor states close to the highest occupied valence band of pristine SiCNT, whereas donor states close to the lowest unoccupied conduction band appear as a Si atom being hydrogenated. Upon fully hydrogenating Si atoms, (8,0) and (6,6) SiCNTs become metallic with very high density of states at the Fermi level. The full hydrogenation of C atoms, on the other hand, increases the band gap to 2.6 eV for (8,0) SiCNT and decreases the band gap to 1.47 eV for (6,6) SiCNT, respectively. The band gap of SiCNTs can also be greatly increased through the hydrogenation of all the atoms.     

高能闪光照相中影响光程确定的几个因素

 利用闪光照相基本原理和成像原理，在直接记录法和转换屏记录法的情况下，研究了闪光照相中影响X射线在材料中光程确定的主要因素。结果表明，影响光程确定的几个因素是：散射效应、光源角分布效应、立体角效应和能谱效应。对于高能闪光照相，散射效应是影响光程确定的最主要因素，散射的存在使光程的测量值比实际值降低20%～40%。因此必须在做CT之前，对散射的影响进行修正。