Column selectivity in reversed-phase liquid chromatography. VII. Cyanopropyl columns

Eleven cyanopropyl ("cyano") columns were characterized by means of a relationship developed originally for alkyl-silica columns. Compared to type-B alkyl-silica columns (i.e., made from pure silica), cyano columns are much less hydrophobic (smaller H), less sterically restricted (smaller S*), and have lower hydrogen-bond acidity (smaller A). Because sample retention is generally much weaker on cyano versus other columns (e.g., C8, C18), a change to a cyano column usually requires a significantly weaker mobile phase in order to maintain comparable values of k for both columns. For this reason, practical comparisons of selectivity between cyano and other columns (i.e., involving different mobile phases for each column) must take into account possible changes in separation due to the change in mobile phase, as well as change in the column.     

A Simple Procedure for Preparing Annulated p-Benzoquinones. Improved Synthesis of 1,4-Dihydro-1,4-methanonaphthalene-5,8-dione

A simple and efficient two-step, one-pot synthesis of substituted 1,4-dihydro-1,4-methanonaphthalene-5,8-diones is reported. This synthesis, which utilizes readily available starting materials and inexpensive reagents, can be used to prepare 1a-1c in 70–90% overall yield. This procedure was extended successfully to prepare a more highly complex annulated p-benzoquinone i.e., 8.     

HPLC study of the host–guest complexation between fluorescent glutathione derivatives and β-cyclodextrin

RP-HPLC and the van’t Hoff law were used to study the association in which β-cyclodextrin forms inclusion complexes with aminothiol–phthaldialdehyde derivatives prepared from either glutathione (GSH) or γ-glutamylcysteine (γ-glucys) and either naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde (NDA) or o-phthaldialdehyde (OPA). Elution was carried out at pH 8.5, the derivatization pH which gave the highest fluorescence signal during batch experiments. The variation of the retention factor (k) was monitored as a function of column temperature (10–35 °C) and β-cyclodextrin concentration (0–5 mM) in the mobile phase. Apparent binding constants, enthalpy and entropy were calculated from van’t Hoff plots for the complexation reaction. These data lay the groundwork for the improvement of high throughput GSH quantification methods using fluorimetry in biological and vegetal samples.     

Tunability of the optical properties in the Y6(W,Mo)(O,N)12 system

New fluorite-type solid solution domains have been evidenced in the system Y₆(W,Mo)(O,N)₁₂ using precursors prepared by the amorphous citrate route. The oxynitrides as well as the low temperature oxides (600 °C) crystallize in a cubic-type symmetry while the oxides annealed above 1200 °C exhibit a rhombohedral symmetry. Either cationic (W/Mo) or anionic (O/N) substitutions bring the possibility to tune the optical absorption of the yttrium tungstate Y₆WO₁₂, which potential as inorganic UV absorbers is discussed.     

Diffusion kinetics for methanol in polycrystalline ice

Quantitative analyses of the isothermal desorption kinetics from methanol-doped H2O films on Pt(111) reveal that transport kinetics for CH3OH in polycrystalline ice are much slower than previously reported. They also indicate that MeOH displays first-order desorption kinetics with respect to its instantaneous surface concentration below 0.1 mole fraction in ice. These observations allow isothermal desorption rate measurements to be interpreted in terms of a depth profiling analysis providing one-dimensional concentration depth profiles from methanol-doped polycrystalline ice films. Using a straightforward approach to inhibit ice sublimation, transport properties are extracted from the evolution of concentration depth profiles obtained after thermal annealing of binary ice films at high temperature. Heterodiffusion coefficients for methanol in polycrystalline (cubic) ice Ic films are reported for temperatures between 145 and 195 K and for concentrations below 10(-3) mole fraction. Finally, diffusion kinetics for methanol in ice are shown to display a very strong concentration dependence that may contribute, in addition to variations in laboratory samples microstructure, to the disagreements reported in the literature regarding the transport properties of ice.