Development of a chemical vapor sensor using piezoelectric quartz crystals with coated unusual lipids

Piezoelectric quartz crystal sensors were developed using lipids with various properties for highly sensitive detection of chemical vapors. Lipids with varying lengths of alkyl chains were coated onto 10 MHz AT-cut quartz crystal resonators and the response of these modified crystals to chemical vapors were measured. It was shown that hydrophilic compounds, such as ethanol and methanol, could be recognized efficiently by lipids having shorter alkyl chains, whereas lipids with longer alkyl chains showed affinity to more hydrophobic vapors, such as toluene, hexane and cyclohexane. Frequency changes caused by adsorption of alcohols could be enhanced when cholesterol was co-immobilized in the lipid layer. To confirm the assumption that the sensor-response might be affected by the properties of lipids derived from acyl chains, we have examined the effects of two types of newly synthesized unusual lipids on sensor response. When lipids having one triple bond each at different positions on their alkyl chains were coated onto quartz crystals separately, lower responses were observed compared to responses obtained for a sensor with immobilized, saturated phosphatidylcholine. Lipids containing -branched acyl chains, however, showed good affinity for organic vapors, and sensor responses improved 4–5-fold. Moreover, these sensors were shown to have sensitivity of the same order as the humans' sense of smell (10⁻⁵–10⁻⁶ w/w in liquid paraffin) when measured using standard odorants (isovaleric acid, skatole, etc.) for an olfactometry established in Japan.     

Effects of gamma-irradiation on CO2 fixation and

To investigate the possibility of ¹⁴CO₂ fixation using microorganisms in a high-dose area, the photosynthetic activity (specific production rate: SPR) and cellular proliferation (colony forming unit: CFU) of Euglena gracilis Z irradiated with gamma-rays at a dose of 0 to 500 Gy were determined. The dose responses of SPR and CFU suggested that it was possible to operate a CO₂ fixation system of Euglena up to 100 Gy. Even at a dose of 500 Gy, about half of the photosynthetic activity under non-irradiated condition was considered possible.     

Application of plasma-polymerized films for isoelectric focusing of proteins in a capillary electrophoresis chip

The first use of plasma polymerization technique to modify the surface of a glass chip for capillary isoelectric focusing (cIEF) of different proteins is reported. The electrophoresis separation channel was machined in Tempax glass chips with length 70 mm, 300 microm width and 100 microm depth. Acetonitrile and hexamethyldisiloxane monomers were used for plasma polymerization. In each case 100 nm plasma polymer films were coated onto the chip surface to reduce protein wall adsorption and minimize the electroosmotic flow. Applied voltages of 1000 V, 2000 V and 3000 V were used to separate mixtures of cytochrome c (pI 9.6), hemoglobin (pI 7.0) and phycocyanin (pI 4.65). Reproducible isoelectric focusing of each pI marker protein was observed in different coated capillaries at increasing concentration 2.22-5 microg microL(-1). Modification of the glass capillary with hydrophobic HMDS plasma polymerized films enabled rapid cIEF within 3 min. The separation efficiency of cytochrome c and phycocyanin in both acrylamide and HMDS coated capillaries corresponded to a plate number of 19600 which compares favourably with capillary electrophoresis of neurotransmitters with amperometric detection.     

Cyclopropanation and carbonyl olefination utilizing 2-(Alk-1-yn-1-yl)-2-(trialkylsilyl)-1,3-dithianes via regioselective generation of titanium alkynylcarbene complexes

Cp(2)Ti[P(OEt)(3)](2)-promoted reactions of 2-(alk-1-yn-1-yl)-2-(trialkylsilyl)-1,3-dithianes (RS)(2)C(Si)CCR with terminal olefins and carbonyl compounds produced (trialkylsilylethynyl)cyclopropanes and 1-(trialkylsilyl)alk-3-en-1-ynes, respectively. These compounds were suggest to be produced via the formation of intermediary titanium alpha-(trialkylsilylethynyl)carbene complexes Cp(2)Ti=C(R)CCSi in preference to their regioisomers, alpha-(trialkylsilyl)alkynylcarbene complexes Cp(2)Ti=C(Si)CCR.     

A novel synthesis of α-hydroxy- and α,α′-dihydroxyketone from α-iodo and α,α′-diiodo ketone using photoirradiation

A novel reaction of α-iodo ketone (α-iodocycloalkanone, α-iodo-β-alkoxy ester, and α-iodoacyclicketone) with irradiation under a high-pressure mercury lamp gave the corresponding α-hydroxyketone in good yields. In the case of α,α′-diiodo ketone, α,α′-dihydroxyketone which little has been reported until now was obtained. This reaction affords a new, clean and convenient synthetic method for α-hydroxy- and α,α′-dihydroxyketone.     

High-performance liquid chromatography of biogenic amines in the corpus cardiacum of the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana

The simultaneous determination of biogenic amines in the corpus cardiacum of the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana, was carried out using high-performance liquid chromatography with a Neurochem neurochemical analyser. Vanillic acid, dopamine, octopamine and tyramine were detected. Tyrosine and tryptophan were also detected at high levels. Octopamine levels in the corpus cardiacum were increased on injection of an acetone solution. The biological function of the biogenic amines detected is discussed.     

Synthesis and properties of the first stable silylene-isocyanide complexes

The first stable silylene-isocyanide complexes, [Tbt(Mes)SiCNAr] (5 c: Ar=Tip, 5 d: Ar=Tbt, 5 e: Ar=Mes*; Tbt=2,4,6-tris[bis(trimethylsilyl)methyl]phenyl, Mes=mesityl, Tip=2,4,6-triisopropylphenyl, Mes*=2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenyl) were successfully synthesized by the reaction of a kinetically stabilized disilene, [Tbt(Mes)Si=Si(Mes)Tbt] (1), with bulky isocyanides, ArNC (3c-e). The spectroscopic data of 5 c-e and theoretical calculations for a model molecule indicated that 5 c-e are not classical cumulative compounds but the first stable silylene-Lewis base complexes. The reactions of 5 c-e with triethylsilane and 1,3-dienes gave the corresponding silylene adducts, and they underwent isocyanide-exchange reactions in the presence of another isocyanide at room temperature. These results indicate dissociation of complexes 5 c-e to the corresponding silylene 2 and isocyanides 3 c-e under very mild conditions. The reaction of 5 c with methanol gave the MeOH adduct 16, [Tbt(Mes)SiHC(OMe)NTip], which has a hydrogen atom on the silicon atom. This regioselectivity can be explained in terms of the contribution of zwitterionic resonance structures D and E, which have an anion on the silicon atom. This result indicates that 5 c is not a classical cumulene having Si=C double bonds that should react with methanol to give adducts bearing a methoxyl group on the silicon atom. Although the reactions of 5 c-e with electrophilic reagents such as methanol, hydrogen chloride, and methyl iodide gave the formal silylene adducts, the studies on the reaction mechanism by trapping experiments and the observation of the intermediate suggested that the reaction mainly or partially proceeds by initial nucleophilic attack of the silicon atom, as is the case in the formation of 16 in the reaction of 5 c with methanol. It was revealed that 5 c-e show the nucleophilicity of the silicon atom, most likely resulting from the contribution of the zwitterionic resonance structures D and E.     

Structures and stabilities of 3d-transition metal-benzene organometallic clusters

In the gas phase, we have successfully synthesized organometallic clusters, M_n(benzene)_m (M=3d transition metal atoms), by using a laser vaporization method. The measurements of mass spectra and ionization energies (E_i) have revealed that the organometallic clusters can take two types of structures; layered sandwich structures (m = n + 1) and metal clusters saturatedly covered with benzenes. For early transition metals of Sc, Ti, and V, only the multiple decker sandwich structure clusters were preferentially produced, in which benzene and metal atoms are alternately piled up. For late transition metals of Co and Ni, the metal clusters saturatedly surrounded by benzenes were also produced as well as the sandwich clusters. Furthermore, the E_is of M₁(benzene)₂ (M = Sc-Ni) were systematically measured and their electronic properties will be discussed.     

Overlapping of three-phase regions in a water/nonionic surfactant/triglyceride system

It was found that two types of three-phase regions containing surfactant phases (microemulsions) are overlapped and the four coexisting phases including excess water and oil phases appear in a three-component system of water/hexaethyleneglycol tetradecyl ether (R₁₄EO₆)/triglyceride (1,2,3-[tris(2-ethylhexanoyloxy)] propane, TEH). A schematic diagram of three- and four-phase behavior was constructed based on the real phase diagrams. One type of three-phase behavior is the same as that typically appearing over a wide range of water/oil ratios in a water/nonionic surfactant/hydrocarbon system. The other type of three-phase behavior is similar to that observed over a wide range of water/oil ratios in a system of water/nonionic surfactant/amphiphilic oil such as long-chain alcohols, fatty acids, and triglycerides. The result clearly shows how two three-phase regions interact with each other and are transferred from one to another.     

Tetraalkylammonium Picrates in the Dichloromethane–Water System: Ion-Pair Formation and Liquid–Liquid Distribution of Free Ions and Ion Pairs

Equilibria concerning picrates of tetraalkylammonium ions (Me₄N⁺, Et₄N⁺, Pr₄N⁺, Bu₄N⁺, Bu₃MeN⁺) in a dichloromethane−water system have been investigated at 25 ^∘C. The 1:1 ion-pair formation constants (K _IP,o ^o) in dichloromethane at infinite dilution were conductometrically determined. The distribution constants (K _D ^o) of the ion pairs and the free cations between the solvents were determined by a batch-extraction method. The K _IP,o ^o value varies in the cation sequence, Bu₄N⁺ ≈ Pr₄N⁺ ≈ Et₄N⁺ < Bu₃MeN⁺ < < Me₄N⁺; this trend is explained by the electrostatic cation−anion interaction taking into account the structures of the ion pairs determined by density functional theory calculations. For the ion pairs of the symmetric R₄N⁺ cations, there is a linear positive relationship between log₁₀ K _D ^o and the number of methylene groups in the cation (N _{CH 2}). The ion pair of asymmetric Bu₃MeN⁺ has a higher distribution constant than that expected from the above log₁₀ K _D ^o versus N _{CH 2} relationship. These cation dependencies of log₁₀ K _D ^o for the ion pairs are explained theoretically by using the Hildebrand-Scatchard equation. For all the cations, the log₁₀ K _D ^o value of the free cation increases linearly with N _{CH 2}; the variation of log₁₀ K _D ^o is discussed by decomposing the distribution constant into the Born-type electrostatic contribution and the non-Born one, and attributed to the latter that is governed by the differences in the molar volumes of the cations. The cation dependencies of the ion-pair extractability and ion pairing in water are also discussed. An erratum to this article can be found at