Preliminary study to prepare a reference material of toluene metabolite – o-cresol and benzene metabolite-phenol – in human urine

The candidate reference material (RM) was prepared by freeze-drying pooled urine samples obtained from healthy persons occupationally exposed to toluene. Homogeneity testing yielded no significant differences of urinary concentrations of o-cresol and phenol in 15 randomly selected units of RM. Stability testing showed no significant changes of concentrations of the above analytes over a period of 6 months. Property (pre-certified) values of phenol and o-cresol concentrations and their uncertainties (9.06±0.47 mg l⁻¹ and 1.03±0.06 mg l⁻¹, respectively) were estimated from results of a small-scale interlaboratory comparison in which two laboratories participated using four different analytical methods.     

Development of Methods of Synthesis of Volatile Organogallium and Organoindium Compounds Used to Prepare Semiconductors

Three new methods for large scale synthesis of electronic grade trimethylgallium and trimethylindium are presented. These methods are based on direct synthesis of trialkylgallium compounds from the Ga/Mg alloy or the mixture of this metals and alkyl halides, RX. The first method consists in the cleavage of the stable trimethylgallium-diethyl ether adduct by heating it in the mixture with ether of higher boiling point. The second one is the reaction of the mixture of Ga and Mg with methyl iodide in a high boiling ether solvent such as diisoamyl ether, i-Am₂O. The third method consist in preliminary formation of the stable adducts of trimethylgallium or trimethylindium and alkali metal fluorides from their etherates, followed by removing ethers and thermal decomposition of adducts to yield free trimethylgallium or trimethylindium respectively.     

Synthesis and X-Ray Crystal Structure of Two Novel Complexes: [M II(phen)3]2V4O12·phen·22H2O(M II=Co, Ni; phen=phenanthroline)

Summary. Two novel compounds, [Co(phen)₃]₂V₄O₁₂·phen·22H₂O (1) and [Ni(phen)₃]₂ V₄O₁₂·phen·22H₂O (2), were prepared from KVO₃–1,10-phenanthroline (phen)–Co(NO₃)₂, resp. NiCl₂–H₂O reaction systems. The compounds 1 and 2 are isomorphous and crystallize in triclinic system, space group P-1. Their crystal structures are formed by two types of layers parallel to 001: a cationic one consisting of [M^II(phen)₃]²⁺ ions and an anionic one containing the cyclic V₄O₁₂ ^4– anions. The solvate phenanthroline and crystal water molecules are located in the cationic and anionic layers, respectively. The IR spectra of 1 and 2 are consistent with the presence of the cyclic V₄O₁₂ ^4– anions in the complexes.Received November 13, 2002; accepted (revised) February 3, 2003 Published online June 2, 2003     

Effect of the calcination temperature on the properties of Fe2O3/SiO2 catalysts for oxidation of hydrogen sulfide

The effect of the calcination temperature on the properties of supported iron oxide catalysts for hydrogen sulfide oxidation prepared by impregnation of silica with iron(III) nitrate has been studied. An increase in the calcination temperature was found to diminish the catalytic activity of the Fe₂O₃/SiO₂ catalysts in hydrogen sulfide oxidation. This behavior can be explained by the agglomeration of iron oxide particles and by a decrease in the surface concentration of active sites. It has been shown that an increase in the calcination temperature makes the catalyst more stable towards the sulfidation of the active component (Fe₂O₃) to the iron disulfide phase.     

Transformation of mu4-phosphinidenes at an Ru5 center: isolation and structural characterization of hydroxyphosphinidene cluster acids, fluorophosphinidenes, and a novel mu5-phosphide

Acid hydrolysis of [Ru(5)(CO)(15)(mu(4)-PN(i)Pr(2))] (2) or protonation of the anionic PO cluster [Ru(5)(CO)(15)(mu(4)-PO)](-) (3) affords the hydroxyphosphinidene complex [Ru(5)(CO)(15)(mu(4)-POH)].1.[H(2)N(i)()Pr(2)][CF(3)SO(3)], which cocrystallizes with a hydrogen-bonded ammonium triflate salt. Reaction of [Ru(5)(CO)(15)(mu(4)-PN(i)Pr(2))] (2) with bis(diphenylphosphino)methane (dppm) leads to [Ru(5)(CO)(13)(mu-dppm)(mu(4)-PN(i)Pr(2))] (4). Acid hydrolysis of 4 leads to the dppm-substituted hydroxyphosphinidene [Ru(5)(CO)(13)(mu-dppm)(mu(4)-POH)] (5), which is analogous to 1, but unlike 1, can be readily isolated as the free hydroxyphosphinidene acid. Compound 5 can also be formed by reaction of 3 with dppm and acid. The cationic hydride cluster [Ru(5)(CO)(13)(mu-dppm)(mu(3)-H)(mu(4)-POH)][CF(3)SO(3)] (6) can be isolated from the same reaction if chromatography is not used. Compound 4 also reacts with HBF(4) to form the fluorophosphinidene cluster [Ru(5)(CO)(13)(mu-dppm)(mu(4)-PF)] (7), while reaction with HCl leads to the mu-chloro, mu(5)-phosphide cluster [Ru(5)(CO)(13)(mu-dppm)(mu-Cl)(mu(5)-P)] (8).     

Kinetics and mechanism of ring transformation of S-[1-(4-methoxyphenyl)pyrrolidin-2-on-3-yl]isothiuronium bromide to 2-methylimino-5-[2-(4-methoxyphenylamino)ethyl]thiazolidin-4-one

The kinetics and mechanism of transformation reaction of S-[1-(4- methoxyphenyl)pyrrolidin-2-one-3-yl]-N-methyl-isothiuronium bromide into 2-methylimino-5-[2-(4-methoxyphenylamino) ethyl)]thiazolidin-4-one have been studied in aqueous solutions of amine buffers (pH 8.1-11.5) and sodium hydroxide solutions (0.005-0.5 mol l-1) at 25 degrees C and at I = 1 mol l-1 at pseudo-first-order reaction conditions. The kinetics observed shows that the transformation reaction is subject to general base, general acid, and hydroxide-ion catalyses. The rate-limiting step of transformation is the splitting-off a proton from the tetrahedral intermediate In. The value of pKa for S-[1-(4-methoxyphenyl)- pyrrolidin-2-one-3-yl]-N-methylisothiuronium bromide has been determined from the kinetic data (pKa = 8.75 +/- 0.10) and by potentiometric titration (pKa = 8.90 +/- 0.05). With increasing pKa value of the acid buffer component, the value of Br?nsted coefficient beta gradually decreases from about 0.7 to almost zero. The value of pKa approximately 10 for the intermediate to base-catalysed transformation has been found from this dependence. In the N-methylpyrrolidine and triethylamine buffers, the rate-limiting step of transformation is changed into ring opening of In-, and the general-base-catalysed reaction changes into a specific-base-catalysed one.     

A family of novel DNA sequencing instruments based on single-photon detection

We have developed a family of high-performance capillary DNA sequencing instruments based on a novel multicolor fluorescent detection technology. This technology is based on two technical innovations: the multilaser excitation of fluorescence of labeled DNA fragments and the "color-blind" single-photon detection of modulated fluorescence. Our machines employ modern digital and broadband techniques that are essential for achieving superior instrument performance. We discuss the design and testing results for several versions of the automated single lane DNA sequencers, as well as our approach to scaling up to multilane instruments.     

Reference material “total protein in human urine”

Two batches of a reference material (RM) “total protein in human urine” were prepared for quality assurance in the determination of human urinary proteins. The material was prepared by freeze-drying of a pooled urine sample obtained from healthy volunteers. Protein concentrations in both batches were within physiological values, close to their upper limit. Interlaboratory comparisons conducted in 26 laboratories using the standard operation procedures elaborated for six of the most frequently employed methods (biuret, Bradford, Exton, Lowry, Pesce, and Watanabe) revealed that the results obtained by the individual methods were significantly different due to various reaction mechanisms involved. It was therefore necessary to certify the mean values and their uncertainties individually for each method. These operationally defined certified or information values are valid only when the prescribed standard operation procedures are strictly followed.