Comparison of silver results for canadian reference ores and concentrates and zinc-processing products by acid decomposition, tribenzylamine/chloroform extraction and fire-assay combined with atomic-absorption spectrophotometry

The results obtained for silver in Canadian reference ores and concentrates and in zinc-processing products by three atomic-absorption spectrophotometric methods are compared. "Wet chemical" methods based on the decomposition of the sample with mixed acids yield more accurate results than those based on fire-assay collection techniques. A direct acid-decomposition method involving the determination of silver in a 20% v/v hydrochloric acid-1% v/v diethylenetriamine medium is recommended for the determination of approximately 10 mug g or higher levels of silver. A method based on chloroform extraction of the tribenzylamine-silver bromide ion-association complex from 0.08M potassium bromide-2M sulphuric acid is recommended for samples containing < 10 mug of silver per g.     

Synthesis of mixed metal decaosmium carbido clusters: The X-ray structures of the monoanions [Os10C(CO)24Cu(NCMe)]− and [Os10C(CO)24AuPPh3]−

The high nuclearity mixed metal cluster monoanions [Os₁₀C(CO)₂₄Cu(NCMe)]^? (I) and [Os₁₀C(CO)₂₄AuPPh₃]^? (II) have been obtained by reaction of the carbido-dianion [Os₁₀C(CO)₂₄]^2? (III) with one equivalent of [Cu(NCMe)₄] [BF₄] and Ph₃PAuCl, respectively, in CH₂Cl₂. X-ray analysis of the [PPh₃Me]⁺ salts of I and II show that the Cu and Au ligands have added to capping tetrahedra of the dianion III in μ₃- and μ₂-bridging positions, respectively.     

Carbon dioxide emulsion assisted loading of polymer microspheres toward sustained release materials

An organic solvent-free method for encapsulating progesterone at high loadings within micron-sized inert latex polymer beads is reported. This approach makes use of a polymeric surfactant to emulsify carbon dioxide into an aqueous latex suspension. In this way, preformed approximately 4 microm polystyrene (PS) microparticles surface-grafted with poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) were plasticized and swollen followed by rapid partitioning of progesterone into the polymer matrix. The as-prepared polystyrene beads incorporated over 10% progesterone by weight while maintaining their initial size and morphological uniformity. Dissolution experiments were also carried out to obtain the release profile of progesterone entrapped within the PVP/PS particles.     

A hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene cyclophane: an addition to the toolbox for molecular electronics

Cyclophanes with the largest-to-date polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene, HBC) to be entrained in such a structural motif are reported. The two disks are covalently captured by intermolecular ring-closing olefin metathesis of dienes in good yield. DSC, optical microscopy, and WAXD show the new cyclophanes to self-assemble to thermotropic columnar liquid crystal mesophases similar to monomeric analogues. Solution spectroscopic studies reveal that the two disks within a single unit lie face-to-face, with a small average lateral offset. Self-assembly into two-dimensional crystals at a solid-liquid interface was visualized by STM, and the electrical properties of single molecules were assessed by scanning tunneling spectroscopy revealing a diode-like behavior which is similar to that previously reported for single HBC disks, laying the groundwork for future electrical interrogations of dynamic molecular complexes.     

Tris(acetonitrile)tricarbonylchromium(0) catalyzed 1,4-addition of hydrogen to 1,3-dienes

The Cr(CO)₃(CH₃CN)₃ complex is found to catalyze the 1,4-addition of hydrogen to 1,3-dienes such as 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene, trans-1,3-pentadiene, and trans, trans-2,4-hexadiene at low temperature (40°) and low H₂ pressure (20 psi). For trans, trans-2,4-hexadiene the only product obtained when D₂ is used is 2,5-dideuterio-cis-3-hexene. The catalytic 1,4-hydrogenation can be carried out in neat dienes, and turnover numbers for the catalyst of greater than 3000 have been observed.     

Gold nanoshells on polystyrene cores for control of surface plasmon resonance

A method is presented for synthesizing core-shell structures consisting of monodisperse polystyrene latex nanospheres as cores and gold nanoparticles as shells. Use of polystyrene spheres as the core in these structures is advantageous because they are readily available commercially in a wide range of sizes, and with dyes or other molecules doped into them. Gold nanoparticles, ranging in size from 1 to 20 nm, are prepared by reduction of a gold precursor with sodium citrate or tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium chloride (THPC). Carboxylate-terminated polystyrene spheres are functionalized with 2-aminoethanethiol hydrochloride (AET), which forms a peptide bond with carboxylic acid groups on their surface, resulting in a thiol-terminated surface. Gold nanoparticles then bind to the thiol groups to provide up to about 50% coverage of the surface. These nanoparticles serve as seeds for growth of a continuous gold shell by reduction of additional gold precursor. The shell thickness and roughness can be controlled by the size of the nanoparticle seeds as well as by the process of their growth into a continuous shell. By variation of the relative sizes of the latex core and the thickness of the gold overlayer, the plasmon resonance of the nanoshell can be tuned to specific wavelengths across the visible and infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum, for applications ranging from the construction of photonic crystals to biophotonics. The position and width of the plasmon resonance extinction peak are well-predicted by extended Mie scattering theory.     

Synthetic applications of aryl radical building blocks for cyclisation onto azoles

2-(2-Bromophenyl)ethyl groups have been used as building blocks in radical cyclisation reactions onto azoles to synthesise tri- and tetra-cyclic heterocycles. 2-(2-Bromophenyl)ethyl methanesulfonate was used to alkylate azoles (imidazoles, pyrroles, indoles and pyrazoles) for the synthesis of the radical precursors. Cyclisations of the intermediate aryl radicals yield new 6-membered rings attached to the azoles. The aryl radicals undergo intramolecular homolytic aromatic substitution onto the azole rings. Tributylgermanium hydride has been used with success to replace the toxic and troublesome tributyltin hydride. Initial studies show that the protocol can be used on solid phase resins. The molecular and crystal structures of methyl 5,6-dihydroimidazo[5,1-a]iso-quinoline-1-carboxylate and methyl 5,6-dihydroimidazo[2,1-a]isoquinoline-3-carboxylate were determined by X-ray crystallography.     

Influence of synthesis route on the properties of doped lanthanum cobaltite and its performance as an electrochemical reactor for the partial oxidation of natural gas

La(0.6)Sr(0.4)Co(0.2)Fe(0.8)O(3-delta)(LSCF) perovskite powders have been synthesised by solid-state reaction, co-precipitation, drip pyrolysis and citrate gel routes, and characterised using XRF, XRD, SEM and BET. Co-precipitation using oxalic acid or aqueous ammonia as precipitant failed to achieve the correct chemical composition. Perovskite structures were achieved in all other cases. Surface areas ranging from 0.6 to 17.4 m(2) g(-1) were obtained, which was reflected in the different microstructures observed. The citrate gel product exhibited a convoluted network morphology resulting in its large surface area. Thin-walled (approximately 200 microm) tubular membranes have been manufactured from the LSCF powders using viscous plastic processing. The tubes have been characterised using a custom-built gas analysis rig with on-line mass spectrometry. Porosity levels of the membranes were found to be very low (<0.1%). The spontaneous oxygen flux across the tubular membranes was determined as a function of temperature. Oxygen permeation rates ranged from 0.1 to 0.3 micromol cm(-2) s(-1) at 1273 K. The catalytic behaviour of the LSCF tubes towards methane oxidation has been studied using temperature programmed reaction and conventional catalytic measurements. The tubes favoured combustion reactions, with smaller amounts of partial oxidation and oxidative coupling products observed. Powder coatings have been incorporated to establish the effect of increasing surface area.     

Transfection mediated by gemini surfactants: engineered escape from the endosomal compartment

The structure of the lipoplex formed from DNA and the sugar-based cationic gemini surfactant 1, which exhibits excellent transfection efficiency, has been investigated in the pH range 8.8-3.0 utilizing small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). Uniquely, three well-defined morphologies of the lipoplex were observed upon gradual acidification: a lamellar phase, a condensed lamellar phase, and an inverted hexagonal (H(II)) columnar phase. Using molecular modeling, we link the observed lipoplex morphologies and physical behavior to specific structural features in the individual surfactant, illuminating key factors in future surfactant design, viz., a spacer of six methylene groups, the presence of two nitrogens that can be protonated in the physiological pH range, two unsaturated alkyl tails, and hydrophilic sugar headgroups. Assuming that the mechanism of transfection by synthetic cationic surfactants involves endocytosis, we contend that the efficacy of gemini surfactant 1 as a gene delivery vehicle can be explained by the unprecedented observation of a pH-induced formation of the inverted hexagonal phase of the lipoplex in the endosomal pH range. This change in morphology leads to destabilization of the endosome through fusion of the lipoplex with the endosomal wall, resulting in release of DNA into the cytoplasm.