Capillary electrophoretic determination of the constituents of Artemisiae Capillaris Herba

Two capillary electrophoretic methods, a micellar electrokinetic electrophoretic (MEKC) one and a capillary zone electrophoretic (CZE) one, were developed for the separation of 12 constituents in Artemisiae Capillaris Herba. Detection at 254 nm with 20 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate and 20 mM sodium borate buffer (pH 9.82) in MEKC or with 25 mM sodium borate and 6.75 mg/ml 2,3,6-tri-O-methyl-beta-cyclodextrin buffer in CZE was found to be the most suitable approach for this analysis. Within 42 min, the MEKC method could successfully separate 12 authentic constituents, whereof chlorogenic acid, however, appeared as a broad and split peak, and capillarisin and chlorogenic acid overlapped partially with other coexisting substances in crude extract of the herb. The CZE method could completely overcome these problems and was used to determine the amounts of capillarisin, chlorogenic acid, scopoletin and caffeic acid in the extract. The effect of buffers on the constituent separation and the validation of the two methods were discussed.     

Structural and physical characterization of tetranuclear [Mn(II)3Mn(IV)] and [Mn(II)2Mn(III)2] valence-isomer manganese complexes

Two tetranuclear Mn complexes with an average Mn oxidation state of +2.5 have been prepared. These valence isomers have been characterized by a combination of X-ray crystallography, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and magnetic susceptibility. The Mn(II)3Mn(IV) tetramer has the Mn ions arranged in a distorted tetrahedron, with an S = 6 ground spin state, dominated by ferromagnetic exchange among the manganese ions. The Mn(II)2Mn(III)2 tetramer also has a distorted tetrahedral arrangement of Mn ions but shows magnetic behavior, suggesting that it is a single-molecule magnet. The X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectra for the two complexes are similar, suggesting that, while Mn XANES has sufficient sensitivity to distinguish between trinuclear valence isomers (Alexiou et al. Inorg. Chem. 2003, 42, 2185), similar distinctions are difficult for tetranuclear complexes such as that found in the photosynthetic oxygen-evolving complex.     

Copper-mediated synthesis of α-trifluoromethylthio- and seleno-α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds

A novel route to the synthesis of α-trifluoromethylthio- and seleno-α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds via a copper-mediated trifluoromethylthiolation/trifluoromethylselenolation of α-halo-α,β-unsaturated carbonyl substrates is reported.     

Synthesis,characterization and crystal structure determination of mononuclear and dinuclear copper(II) carboxylates: [Cu(Hdpa)2(en)] and [{Cu2(μ-na)4(CH3OH)2}·2CH3OH]

Two new copper complexes [Cu(Hdpa)₂(en)] (1) and [{Cu₂(μ-na)₄(CH₃OH)₂}·2CH₃OH] (2) (where en is ethylene diamine, Hdpa is 2′-carboxy-[1,10-biphenyl]-2-carboxylate anion and na is 1-naphtalenecarboxylate) have been synthesized and their crystal structures were determined by X-ray crystallography. Complex 1 was prepared from the reaction of Cu(NO₃)₂·3H₂O with ethylene diamine and 2,2′-biphenyldicarboxylic acid in a mixture of water and methanol and complex 2 was prepared from the reaction of CuSO₄·5H₂O with 1-naphtalenecarboxylic acid in methanol. The two complexes were characterized by IR, UV–vis, luminescence and elemental analysis. Moreover, complex 2 was characterized by EPR spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Complex 1 is a monomer and complex 2 is a dimer with a paddle-wheel structure; both structures are without precedent in the literature.     

A lab-on-a-chip for detection of nerve agent sarin in blood

Sarin (C(4)H(10)FO(2)P,O-isopropyl methylphosphonofluoridate) is a colourless, odourless and highly toxic phosphonate that acts as a cholinesterase inhibitor and disrupts neuromuscular transmission. Sarin and related phosphonates are chemical warfare agents, and there is a possibility of their application in a military or terrorist attack. This paper reports a lab-on-a-chip device for detecting a trace amount of sarin in a small volume of blood. The device should allow early detection of sarin exposure during medical triage to differentiate between those requiring medical treatment from mass psychogenic illness cases. The device is based on continuous-flow microfluidics with sequential stages for lysis of whole blood, regeneration of free nerve agent from its complex with blood cholinesterase, protein precipitation, filtration, enzyme-assisted reaction and optical detection. Whole blood was first mixed with a nerve gas regeneration agent, followed by a protein precipitation step. Subsequently, the lysed product was filtered on the chip in two steps to remove particulates and fluoride ions. The filtered blood sample was then tested for trace levels of regenerated sarin using immobilised cholinesterase on the chip. Activity of immobilised cholinesterase was monitored by the enzyme-assisted reaction of a substrate and reaction of the end-product with a chromophore. Resultant changes in chromophore-induced absorbance were recorded on the chip using a Z-shaped optical window. Loss of enzyme activity obtained prior and after passage of the treated blood sample, as shown by a decrease in recorded absorbance values, indicates the presence of either free or regenerated sarin in the blood sample. The device was fabricated in PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate) using CO(2)-laser micromachining. This paper reports the testing results of the different stages, as well as the whole device with all stages in the required assay sequence. The results demonstrate the potential use of a field-deployable hand-held device for point-of-care triage of suspected nerve agent casualties.     

Sol-gel Preparation of Fluoridated Hydroxyapatite in Ca(NO3)2-PO(OH)3− x (OEt) x -HPF6 System

Fluoridated hydroxyapatite (FHA) has been successfully synthesized via sol-gel method with HPF₆ as the fluorine containing reagent. The chemical reactions induced by HPF₆ addition and the formation process of fluoridated hydroxyapatite (FHA) are investigated. The hydrolysis and alcoholysis of HPF₆ release F ion into the solution which, in turn, reacts with Ca ion to form nanocrystalline CaF₂ (nc-CaF₂). These nc-CaF₂ improves the gelation ability of the system through formation of F‒H hydrogen bonding between F in nc-CaF₂ and H in P precursors. Increasing HPF₆ leads to more nc-CaF₂ thus less Ca(NO₃)₂ in the dried gel, or the presence of nc-CaF₂ in the gel suppresses the formation of Ca(NO₃)₂. At elevated firing temperatures, the P containing groups react with each other to form condensed phosphate. These condensed calcium phosphate, nc-CaF₂/Ca(NO₃)₂, reacts with the rest of the amorphous phase to form FHA phase at above 400°C.     

高温煤气脱硫 Ⅰ.铁基脱硫剂的相态特征和活性

用穆斯堡尔谱考察了氧化铁脱硫剂在高温煤气中还原及硫化时的铁形态变化规律。在反应开始阶段，原脱硫剂中的α-Fe2O3即被迅速还原成Fe3O,Fe3O4可进一步还原转化成α-Fe。反应初期Fe3O4和α-Fe都参与脱硫反应，其中α-Fe具有较高的脱硫活性，对整个脱硫过程而言α-Fe是主要的脱硫活性相。铁化合物与硅铝氧化物载体间存在相互作用，形成磁微 晶颗粒及少量γ-Fe。在高温煤气条件下，FeS是唯一的铁硫化物，θ－Fe3C则是α－Fe转化中的主要产物。适量的θ－F e3C对脱硫有促进作用。     

有机染料及其在染料敏化太阳电池中的应用

在染料敏化太阳电池中,染料敏化剂分成无机染料与有机染料两大类。无机染料受稀有金属钌的制约而成本较高,开发有机染料是降低染料敏化太阳电池成本的有效手段,成为目前研究的热点。本文从有机染料敏化剂的分子设计入手,简述了染料敏化太阳电池中有机染料敏化剂的基本结构,将有机染料敏化剂分为吲哚啉类染料、香豆素类染料、三苯胺类染料、菁...     

Synthesis of silanol-functionalized latex nanoparticles through miniemulsion copolymerization of styrene and gamma-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane

The polystyrene latex nanoparticles bearing silanol groups on their surfaces were successfully synthesized via miniemulsion polymerization using gamma-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPS) as the functional comonomer and oil-soluble AIBN as the initiator at neutral conditions. FTIR and 29Si NMR spectra showed that the condensation of silanol groups was suppressed effectively. zeta potential and XPS analyses demonstrated that the silanol groups were enriched at the surfaces of the latex particles and could be tailored by MPS concentration. These silanol-functionalized latex particles could be easily coated with silica or other inorganic or organic compounds to prepare novel hybrid particles and hollow microspheres.     

Construction of 3D layer-pillared homoligand coordination polymers from a 2D layered precursor

Herein, we present a new method for preparing homoligand 3D coordination polymers. First, a layered metal-organic framework Zn3(BDC)3(H2O)2 x 4DMF 1 (BDC is terephthalate, DMF is N,N-dimethylformamide) was fabricated from a H2BDC by liquid-liquid diffusion. Second, the layered product, 1, was used as a precursor to solvothermally react with further H2BDC at 140-180 degrees C, resulting in two products of BDC insertion into the layered structure. These are [Zn3(p-BDC)4] x 2HPIP, 2 (HPIP is partly protonated piperazine), and [Zn3(p-BDC)3(H2BDC)] x (C6H15NO) x H2O x 3DMF, 3 (C6H15NO is triethylamine N-oxide). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction shows that 2 possesses a layer-pillared structure of mu4-BDC, with 1D channels, while 3 has a layer-pillared structure of mu2-BDC, with 2D channels. N2-sorption experiments show 3 has a relatively high BET surface area of 750 m(2)/g. It is proposed that 2 follows the crystal growth mechanism of Ostwald ripening, whereas the crystal structure of 3 might be formed by an insertion mechanism.