Synthesis of gold nanoparticles within a supramolecular gel-phase network

Gold nanoparticles with diameters of ca. 13 nm were synthesised by UV irradiation of a supramolecular organogel into which HAuCl4 and tetraoctylammonium bromide had been diffused-the gel network plays an essential role in nanoparticle stabilisation.     

6Li scattering: A failure of the double-folded potential model

Data for ⁶Li scattering elastically from various nuclei were analyzed using the double-folding model together with a recently introduced “realistic” effective interaction which has reproduced the potentials for heavier ions. However, it is concluded that the potential for ⁶Li is not given by this model which systematically overestimates it by nearly a factor of two.     

Chemical vapor discrimination using a compact and low-power array of piezoresistive microcantilevers

A compact and low-power microcantilever-based sensor array has been developed and used to detect various chemical vapor analytes. In contrast to earlier micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) array sensors, this device uses the static deflection of piezoresistive cantilevers due to the swelling of glassy polyolefin coatings during sorption of chemical vapors. To maximize the sensor response to a variety of chemical analytes, the polymers are selected based on their Hildebrand solubility parameters to span a wide range of chemical properties. We utilize a novel microcontact spotting method to reproducibly coat a single side of each cantilever in the array with the polymers. To demonstrate the utility of the sensor array we have reproducibly detected 11 chemical vapors, representing a breadth of chemical properties, in real time and over a wide range of vapor concentrations. We also report the detection of the chemical warfare agents (CWAs) VX and sulfur mustard (HD), representing the first published report of CWA vapor detection by a polymer-based, cantilever sensor array. Comparisons of the theoretical polymer/vapor partition coefficient to the experimental cantilever deflection responses show that, while general trends can be reasonably predicted, a simple linear relationship does not exist.     

Recent Advances in the Deoxydehydration of Vicinal Diols and Polyols

Deoxydehydration (DODH) is one of the most promising tools to reduce the oxygen content of biomass (sugars and polyols) and provide analogues of platform chemicals that are derived from fossil resources. This reaction converts a vicinal diol into an alkene and is typically catalyzed by high‐oxidation‐state metal‐oxo compounds in the presence of a stoichiometric reductant, with examples of both homogeneous and heterogeneous systems. This minireview will highlight the developments in this field over the past 5 years and focus on efforts to solve the problems that currently prevent DODH being performed on a commercial scale, including the nature of the reductant, substrate scope and selectivity, and catalyst recovery and expense.     

Selective oxo functionalization of the uranyl ion with 3d metal cations

The linear uranyl dication [UO2]2+ can be bound in one of two coordination sites in the ditopic Pacman-shaped pyrrolic macrocyle H4L. Incorporation of Mn2+, Fe2+, or Co2+ cations in the second donor compartment affords the first uranyl complexes with a transition-metal-functionalized oxo group.     

A simple and robust LC-MS/MS method for quantification of free 3-nitrotyrosine in human plasma from patients receiving on-pump CABG surgery

We have developed a simple, sensitive, and robust liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method to determine free 3-nitrotyrosine concentrations in human plasma of patients receiving on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. A one-step solid-phase extraction protocol was optimized to enrich the analyte at low nanomolar concentrations. The processed samples were analyzed by LC-MS/MS with a 2.1 × 100 mm Kinetex PFP column and a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The method was validated for 3-nitrotyrosine concentrations close to real patient plasma levels. The relative standard deviations or relative errors of the intraday and interday determinations were all within 10%. Limit of detection and limit of quantitation were determined to be 0.034 nM and 0.112 nM, respectively, while lower limit of quantitation was below 0.625 nM. No deterioration of the column performance was noticed after running a large number of patient samples. The results showed that the 3-nitrotyrosine concentrations in coronary sinus plasma samples were elevated after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) procedure. The pre-CPB and post-CPB concentrations of 3-nitrotyrosine in patient plasmas were 1.494 ± 0.107 nM and 2.167 ± 0.177 nM (mean ± SEM), respectively. Application of this method to more patients in clinical studies may help validate 3-nitrotyrosine as a meaningful biomarker for nitrosative stress and link patient characteristics, clinical outcomes, and cardioprotective treatments to endogenous nitrosative stress levels.