Structural Study of C-undecylcalix[4]resorcinarene Solvate with Dioxane

The crystal structure of the molecular complex of C-undecylcalix[4]resorcinarene with dioxane has been determined by X-ray analysis. The asymmetric unit contains one host and four guest molecules. The calix[4]resorcinarene moiety adopts a bowl conformation with C_4v symmetry. Four undecyl chains are axially oriented. Calix molecules are packed in a bowl-to-bowl fashion with alternating hydrophilic and hydrophobic layers. One of the hydrophilic dioxane molecules is located at the rim of the calix moiety and is hydrogen bonded to the other one. There is no interaction to attract, or direct the dioxane molecule into the interior of the cavity. There is an exo complex formed. The dioxane molecules – located in the hydrophobic part – are highly disordered.     

Application of capillary electrophoresis with different sample stacking strategies for the determination of a group of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the low microg x L(-1) concentration range

Several on-column sample preconcentration modes--large-volume sample stacking using the EOF pump (LVSEP), LVSEP with anion-selective exhaustive injection (LVSEP-ASEI) and field-amplified sample injection with sample matrix removal using the electroosmotic flow (EOF) pump (FAEP)--were used to analyze some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) by capillary electrophoresis, and then compared. Methanol was the background electrolyte solvent to suppress the EOF. The effect of the type and length of the solvent plug, and the sample injection time were investigated in FAEP to determine the conditions that provided the best response. LVSEP, LVSEP-ASEI, and FAEP improved the sensitivity of the peak area by 100-, 1200-, and 1800-fold, respectively. The methodology developed, in combination with solid-phase extraction (SPE), was applied to the analysis of water samples.     

Analysis of steroids. XLI. Ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatographic separation of quaternary ammonium steroids on silica.

A normal-phase ion-pair chromatographic system has been developed for the high-performance liquid chromatographic investigation of pipecuronium bromide (2 beta,16 beta-bis-(N'-dimethyl-l-piperazinyl)-3 alpha,17 beta-diacetoxy-5 alpha-androstane dibromide) and related quaternary ammonium steroids. The use of silica as the stationary phase and a 96:4 mixture of acetonitrile and water containing 0.1 mol/dm3 sodium perchlorate as the eluent with detection at 213 nm enable the potential impurities as well as the hydrolytic and oxidative degradation products of pipecuronium bromide to be separated and detected down to the 0.01% level. The above system is also applicable to the high-performance liquid chromatographic investigation of other quaternary ammonium steroids (pancuronium bromide, vecuronium bromide).     

Differentiable circle maps with a flat interval

We study weakly order preserving circle maps with a flat interval, which are differentiable even on the boundary of the flat interval. We obtain estimates on the Lebesgue measure and the Hausdorff dimension of the non-wandering set. Also, a sharp transition is found from degenerate geometry to bounded geometry, depending on the degree of the singularities at the boundary of the flat interval.Partially supported by KBN grant Iteracje i Fraktale #210909101.     

Determination of Pt in urine of tram drivers by sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

The Platinum Group Elements (PGEs) used in automotive catalytic converters are partly emitted into the air during use and can enter the human respiratory system. Due to the increasing use of automotive catalytic converters, the importance of this problem cannot be overlooked.The goal of this investigation was to determine the concentration of Pt in the urine of individuals occupationally exposed to urban air with heavy traffic. Sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SF–ICP–MS) was used for determination of Pt in the urine of tram drivers. 38 and 34 subjects were investigated in Vienna and Budapest, respectively. Samples were taken from the tram drivers both before and after the shift.The results for Pt were compared to those from a previous study performed by our team. The comparison showed that the concentration medians were 4 times higher than the previous ones. Moreover, the values in Budapest were about twice as high as those from Vienna. A partly significant change could be observed between the two sets of data: before, and after the shift.     

Gauge group,degeneration, and degrees of freedom in the ECSK theory of gravity. II. The Moncrief decomposition

It is shown that in the ECSK theory (coupled to an arbitrary tensor matter field) the degeneration distribution of the symplectic 2-form is closely connected with the action of the gauge groupG in the space of solutions to the field equations.     

New designs for inhibitors of the NF-κB: DNA binding

We present a series of new inhibitors of the association between nuclear factor kappa B (NF-B) and the corresponding B site in DNA. They were designed using the lead compound 15-deoxy-^12,14 -prostaglandin J₂ (PGJ2), which is a natural product with demonstrated inhibitory efficiency for this system. First, the binding mode of PGJ2 to NF-B was unraveled by GOLD docking calculation. Subsequently, substitutions were made to PGJ2 to optimize its association with NF-B. Care was taken not to strongly increase the reactivity of the new compounds, and to keep the overall shape, size and hydrophilicity of the lead compound, which should render them a similar bioavailability. Molecular mechanics calculations were performed to decide on the suitability of the substitutions, and to evaluate the energies of association with NF-B. Density functional theory calculations were performed also to study the overall reactivity of the substituted drugs towards NF-B. Important general conclusions were obtained, concerning the improvement of these natural inhibitors; namely, a set of rational methodologies were deduced to improve the association between the PGJ2 derivatives and NF-B, and their efficiency demonstrated by generating a set of substituted complexes, some of them with a very much increased affinity for NF-B, opening new doors to enlarge the therapeutic capabilities of this class of drugs.     

Thermal properties of rare earth elements complexes with 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid

Summary Rare earth elements 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylates were prepared as solids of the general formula Ln(C₉H₃O₆)·nH₂O, where n=6 for La-Dy and n=4 for Ho-Lu,Y. Their solubilities in water at 293 K are of the order 10^-4-10^-6 mol dm^-3. The IR spectra of the complexes indicate that the carboxylate groups are bridging and bidentate chelates. Hydrated 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylates lose water molecules during heating in one step (La-Tb), two steps (Y, Ho-Tm) or three steps (Dy, Yb, Lu). The anhydrous complexes are stable up to 573-742 K and decompose to oxides (Ce-Lu) at higher temperatures.     

Studies of physico-chemical properties of mixed adsorbent in the zeolite/SiO2 system

The paper presents physico-chemical properties of mixed adsorbents in the clinoptylolite (mordenite)/SiO₂ system containing 30, 50, 80 mass% zeolite. Adsorption capacity towards polar (water, butanol) and non-polar (n-octane) substances as well as total surface heterogeneity (energetic and geometrical) were determined. Desorption energy distribution functions as well as fractal dimensions were also determined and compared with the low-temperature nitrogen adsorption data. Irregular shapes of the curves q=f(E _d) as well as large values of volumetric fractal dimensions (D _f~2.6) revealed heterogeneous properties of the zeolite/SiO2 system surfaces. Addition of zeolite increases total heterogeneity of the material.