Gold Microelectrodes Decorated by Spike-Like Nanostructures as a Promising Non-Enzymatic Glucose Sensor

Gold microelectrodes modified via easy method by gold nanostructures were studied as an ideal substrate for non-enzymatic glucose detection. The results confirmed that spike-like nanostructure displays the best electrocatalytic activity because of higher amount of edges. Results prove that modified electrode is able to detect glucose in two linear ranges from 100–500 μM and 0.5–30 mM, with limit of detection (48 μM), high sensitivities for both linear ranges (1.7 μA/mM and 2.4 μA/mM), and good stability. In addition, modified electrodes were able to detect glucose in blood serum. This work demonstrates glucose detection on miniaturised system.     

Olefin cross-metathesis with vinyl halides

The first successful example of olefin cross-metathesis with chloroalkenes is reported.     

Is the Hoveyda–Grubbs Complex a Vinylogous Fischer‐Type Carbene? Aromaticity‐Controlled Activity of Ruthenium Metathesis Catalysts

Three naphthalene-based analogues (4 a-c) of the Hoveyda-Grubbs metathesis catalyst exhibited immense differences in reactivity. Systematic structural and spectroscopic studies revealed that the ruthenafurane ring present in all 2-isopropoxyarylidene chelates possesses some aromatic character, which inhibits catalyst activity. This aromatic stabilization within the chelate ring may be controlled by variation of the polycyclic core topology as was demonstrated for tetraline and phenanthrene derivatives (4 d, e). General conclusions about a new mode of ligand-structure tuning in catalytic systems are presented.     

cclib: a library for package-independent computational chemistry algorithms

There are now a wide variety of packages for electronic structure calculations, each of which differs in the algorithms implemented and the output format. Many computational chemistry algorithms are only available to users of a particular package despite being generally applicable to the results of calculations by any package. Here we present cclib, a platform for the development of package-independent computational chemistry algorithms. Files from several versions of multiple electronic structure packages are automatically detected, parsed, and the extracted information converted to a standard internal representation. A number of population analysis algorithms have been implemented as a proof of principle. In addition, cclib is currently used as an input filter for two GUI applications that analyze output files: PyMOlyze and GaussSum.     

Private Weakly-Random Sequences from Human Heart Rate for Quantum Amplification

We investigate whether the heart rate can be treated as a semi-random source with the aim of amplification by quantum devices. We use a semi-random source model called ε-Santha–Vazirani source, which can be amplified via quantum protocols to obtain a fully private random sequence. We analyze time intervals between consecutive heartbeats obtained from Holter electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings of people of different sex and age. We propose several transformations of the original time series into binary sequences. We have performed different statistical randomness tests and estimated quality parameters. We find that the heart can be treated as a good enough, and private by its nature, source of randomness that every human possesses. As such, in principle, it can be used as input to quantum device-independent randomness amplification protocols. The properly interpreted ε parameter can potentially serve as a new characteristic of the human heart from the perspective of medicine.     

Regioselective formation of a 2,3‐oxaphosphabicyclo[2.2.2]octene 3‐oxide in Baeyer–Villiger type oxidation; a dual pathway for its fragmentation

The O‐insertion reaction of a 7‐phos‐ phanorbornene ( 3 ) unsubstituted on the double‐ bond gave the corresponding 2,3‐oxaphosphabicyclo‐ [2.2.2]octene oxide ( 4a ) in a regioselective manner that was useful in the fragmentation‐related phosphonylation of alcohols. Both the UV‐light mediated and the thermoinduced phosponylation accomplished on the bridged P‐heterocycle ( 4a ) were found to be sensitive toward steric factors, suggesting that beside the well‐known elimination–addition reaction path taking place via metaphosphonate ( 11 ), a competitive novel addition‐‐elimination route involving an intermediate with a pentacoordinated P‐atom ( 12 ) is also present. This was confirmed by the kinetic consideration of our experimental data. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 17:369–375, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/hc.20213