Multilayer sol-gel membranes for optical sensing applications: single layer pH and dual layer CO(2) and NH(3) sensors

Organo-silica sol-gel membranes have been prepared and demonstrated in a single layer format for pH measurement and multiple-layer format for both carbon dioxide and ammonia. The sensors are simple and versatile since the same chemistry and membranes are used for each sensor. The sensors use hydroxypyrenetrisulfonic acid (HPTS) as the indicator immobilized in a base-catalyzed sol-gel containing poly(dimethyl)siloxane, aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS). This indicator gel is over coated with a hydrophobic sol-gel to reduce cross reactivity to pH when either CO(2) or NH(3) are examined. The gels are very stable and the sensors retain response up to a 12-month period. Sensors can be stored in buffer or dry without loss of function and have response times to that are comparable to literature values.     

Selenium speciation by coupling vesicle mediated HPLC with off-line ETAAS and on-line focused microwave digestion HG-AAS detection

A novel High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method for the separation of selenium species with specific detection by off-line Electrothermal Atomization Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (ETAAS) or on-line focused microwave digestion (MW) Hydride Generation Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (HG-AAS) is described. Vesicular mobile phases of the cationic surfactant didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB) have been evaluated for the liquid chromatographic separation of inorganic selenium (selenite and selenate) and different selenoaminoacids (selenocystine, selenomethionine and selenoethionine) on a C(18) reversed-phase column modified by DDAB molecules. The effects of different parameters (pH, buffer and vesicle concentrations) of the mobile phase on the retention times have been determined. The detection limit for selenium with the proposed off-line HPLC-ETAAS method has been found to be 5 microg/L of Se. The detection limit using HPLC-"on line" focused microwave digestion-HG-AAS has been found to be 1 microg/L of Se, with a precision (repeatability) better than +/- 5%. The latter proved to be an exceptional on-line real-time chromatographic detector for selenium speciation purposes.     

Teaching Operational Research Technique

Good technique, i.e. competence in carrying out operational research, is as vital for the practitioner to acquire as competence in the traditional ‘techniques’. It is suggested that universities should teach students how to conduct simple projects prior to alerting them to more sophisticated methodological issues.As an aid to this task, the traditional five or six parts of an operational research project are broken down and extended into 39 steps, and regrouped into three phases. Also, five skills are identified as being conceptually essential to "good" operational research, which students can develop through tackling suitable case studies.     

Separation of organoselenium compounds and their electrochemical detection

A simplified procedure based on ion-exchange separation of selenourea (Se-U) and selenocystamine (Se-CM), which have very close half-wave potential when they are simultaneously analyzed by voltammetric techniques, has been developed and optimized. Thus, selenocystamine remains in the cation exchanger Purolite C 100 H, whereas selenourea is found in the effluent and is determined by square wave cathodic stripping voltammetry using Na₂CO₃ as electrolyte. Selenocystamine is then eluted from the cation exchanger using 4 M HCl and analyzed by square wave cathodic stripping voltammetry in the HCl solution. For each voltammetric determination the corresponding parameters were investigated and optimized; the obtained detection limits were 0.3 ng Se mL^–1 for Se-CM and 2 ng Se mL^–1 for Se-U. A flow sheet for the separation of inorganic (Se(IV) and Se(VI)) and organoselenium compounds (Se-U, Se-CM, (CH₃)₂Se₂, and (CH₃)₂Se) developed for their electrochemical detection is presented and it was successfully applied to a certified reference material, an environmental soil sample, and a urine sample.     

Highly stereoselective addition of stannylcuprates to alkynones

The addition of stannylcuprate reagents such as (Bu3Sn)(PhS)CuLi to alkynones has been found to proceed in high yield and with excellent stereoselectivity for the Z isomer of the product (>95%). The behavior of the stannylcuprates is thus very different from that of their "carbocuprate" counterparts such as Me2CuLi or Me2Cu(CN)Li2 which are nonstereoselective. Furthermore, in contrast to the reactions of (R3Sn)(PhS)CuLi with the corresponding alkynoates, the presence of a proton source in the reaction medium has no effect on the stereoselectivity of the reaction of alkynones.     

3′-Methylsulfinyl-3,4′-diquinolinyl sulfides

Reactions of 4-methoxy- or 1,4-dihydro-4-oxo-3′-methylthio-3,4′-diquinolinyl sulfides 1 and 7 with a nitrating mixture ran as the 3′-methylthio group 5-mono-oxidation followed by C₆- and C₈-nitration and led to the mixture composed of products 3, 4, 5 and 6 (in the case of substrate 1 ) or compounds 5 and 6 (for substrate 7 ). In the reaction with hydrochloric acid 4-methoxy-3′-methylsulfinyl-3,4′-diquinolinyl sulfides 3 and 4 could be hydrolysed to 3′-methylsulfinyl-4(1H)-quinolinones 5 or 6 respectively, the methylsulfinyl group remaining unaffected.     

Skin Necrosis due to Photodynamic Action of Benzoporphyrin Depends on Circulating Rather than Tissue Drug Levels: Implications for Control of Photodynamic Therapy

In an ideal world, photodynamic therapy (PDT) of abnormal tissue would reliably spare the surrounding normal tissue. Normal tissue responses set the limits for light and drug dosimetry. The threshold fluence for necrosis (TFN) was measured in normal skin following intravenous infusion with a photosensitizer, benzoporphyrin derivative monoacid ring A (BPD-MA) Verteporfin as a function of drug dose (0.25-2.0 mg/kg), wavelength of irradiation (458 and 690 nm) and time interval (0–5h) between drug administration and irradiation. The BPD-MA levels were measured in plasma and skin tissue to elucidate the relationship between TFN, drug kinetics and biodistribution. The PDT response of normal skin was highly reproducible. The TFN for 458 and 690 nm wavelengths was nearly identical and the estimated quantum efficiency for skin response was equal at these two wavelengths. Skin phototoxicity, quantified in terms of 1/ TFN, closely correlated with the plasma pharmacokinetics rather than the tissue pharmacokinetics and was quadratically dependent on the plasma drug concentration regardless of the administered drug dose or time interval between drug and light exposure. This study strongly suggests that noninvasive measurements of the circulating drug level at the time of light treatment will be important for setting optimal light dosimetry for PDT with liposomal BPD-MA, a vascular photosensitizer.     

Determination of lithium in pharmaceutical formulations used in the treatment of bipolar disorder by flow injection analysis with spectrophotometric detection

In this work, a flow injection system with spectrophotometric detection was developed for the determination of lithium in pharmaceutical formulations used in the treatment of bipolar disorder. Reaction between Quinizarine (1,4-dihydroxyanthraquinone) and Li(I) ion in alkaline medium containing dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) was explored for this purpose. The flow system was optimized regarding to its chemical (DMSO, Quinizarine and NaOH concentrations and sample pH) and physical parameters (sample loop volume, carrier flow rate and reactor length) in order to establish better conditions in terms of sensitivity and sampling frequency. The results obtained showed that the concentration of DMSO in the reagent solution presents remarkable influence on the magnitude of analytical signal. Chemical species that could be found in the formulations such as Na(I), K(I), Mg(II), Ca(II), Ti(IV), Cl⁻, CO₃²⁻ e sodium dodecylsulfate were tested as possible interfering ions. Among them, only non-monovalent cations presented noticeable interference on lithium signal. However, they were not found in concentrations high enough to cause interference in the determination of lithium in the samples. Sample preparation was performed by sonicating a slurry prepared by dispersing 100 mg of powdered sample in 15 mL of 0.10 mol L⁻¹ HCl solution. Results obtained by developed methodology were not statistically different from those obtained by flame emission spectrometry. In the optimized conditions the method presented a linear range of 5-40 mg L⁻¹ and a relative standard deviation of 3.6% at 5 mg L⁻¹ Li concentration. Detection and quantification limits were 0.54 and 1.8 mg L⁻¹, respectively. Sampling frequency, calculated as the time interval passed between two consecutive injections, was 60 samples per hour. The methodology was successfully applied in the determination of lithium in three commercial samples.