Formation of thin calcium carbonate films with aragonite and vaterite forms coexisting with polyacrylic acids and chitosan membranes

CaCO3 crystallization on a chitosan membrane was studied using diffusion of (NH4)2CO3 vapors into a CaCl2 solution containing differing added amounts of two polyacrylic acids (PAAs) with molecular weights of ca. 2.0 x 10(3) and ca. 4.5 x 10(4). The coexistence of PAA and the chitosan membranes produced thin CaCO3 island crystals, which developed into a continuous CaCO3 film on the membranes. Continuous CaCO3 films consisting of only aragonite formed on the chitosan membranes at the optimum amount of PAA. When the amount of PAA is not optimum, the polymorph of CaCO3 switches from aragonite to vaterite, and the morphology has a tendency to become an isolated island structure. The formation of the aragonite and vaterite island crystals and the appearance of a range of added PAA suitable for their formation are explained by the action of two parallel phenomena: (a) the high concentration of Ca2+ ions in the chitosan membrane vicinity is achieved by the interaction between the -COO- groups of PAA adsorbed by the -NH3+ groups of the chitosan membrane through an electrostatic force and free Ca2+ ions in the CaCl2 solution, which produces the high supersaturation with CaCO3 in the membrane vicinity during CO2 diffusion; (b) PAA, remaining as mobile carboxylic anions in the CaCO3 solution, inhibits the growth of the CaCO3 island crystals by its adsorption. The CaCO3 supersaturation in the membrane vicinity is controlled by regulating the balance of these phenomena, which leads to the formation of the desired CaCO3 polymorph.     

Determination of bromazepam in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric detection: application to a bioequivalence study

A simple method using a one-step liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) followed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with positive ion electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric (ESI-MS/MS) detection was developed for the determination of bromazepam in human plasma, using lorazepam as internal standard. The acquisition was performed in the multiple reaction monitoring mode, monitoring the transitions: m/z 316 > 182 for bromazepam and m/z 321 > 275 for lorazepam. The method was linear over the studied range (1-100 ng ml(-1)), with r(2) > 0.98, and the run time was 2.5 min. The intra- and inter-assay precisions were 2.7-14.6 and 4.1-17.3%, respectively and the intra- and inter-assay accuracies were 87-111 and 75.8-109.5%, respectively. The mean recovery was 73.7%, ranging from 64.5 to 79.7%. The limit of quantification was 1 ng ml(-1). At this concentration the mean intra- and inter-assay precisions were 14.6 and 7.1%, respectively, and the mean intra- and inter-assay accuracies were 102.5 and 104%, respectively. Bromazepam stability was evaluated and the results showed that the drug is stable in standard solution and in plasma samples under typical storage and processing conditions. The method was applied to a bioequivalence study in which 27 healthy adult volunteers (14 men) received single oral doses (6 mg) of reference and test bromazepam formulations, in an open, two-period, randomized, crossover protocol. The 90% confidence interval of the individual ratios (test formulation/reference formulation) for C(max) (peak plasma concentration), AUC(0-96) and AUC(0-inf) (area under the plasma concentration versus time curve from time zero to 96 h and to infinity, respectively) were within the range 80-125%, which supports the conclusion that the test formulation is bioequivalent to the reference formulation regarding the rate and extent of bromazepam absorption.     

A circular dichroism study of the interaction between<Emphasis Type="Italic"> n</Emphasis>-decanoyl-<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-methylglucamide and surface active agents in mixed micelles

The interaction between MEGA-10 and surface active agents was studied by means of circular dichroism. The molecular ellipticity of MEGA-10 varied with the addition of surface active agents, but its peak wavelength did not. The carbonyl group of MEGA-10 did not interact with the nonionic surface active agents nor the catanionic surfactant (of which the anionic and cationic portions were decanesulfonate and decyltrimethylammonium, respectively). It did, however, interact with the ionic surfactants, and also strongly with the ammonium group and the benzene ring. The interaction between MEGA-10 and ionic surfactant charges did not differ according to the sign of the charge. Circular dichroism spectra are a useful tool for performing research into the interaction between an optically active carbonyl group and an additive.     

A convenient procedure for bismuth-mediated Barbier-type allylation of aldehydes in water containing fluoride ions

A new and convenient procedure for synthesis of homoallylic alcohols in generally good to excellent yields has been developed. The bismuth-mediated Barbier-type allylation of aldehydes (aromatic, aliphatic, alicyclic and heterocyclic) with allyl bromide has been carried out smoothly in water in the presence of fluoride ions.     

Identification of Arabidopsis genes regulated by high light-stress using cDNA microarray

In plants, excess light has the potential to damage the photosynthetic apparatus. The damage is caused in part by reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by electrons leaking from the photosynthetic electron transport system. To investigate the mechanisms equipped in higher plants to reduce high light (HL) stress, we surveyed the response of 7000 Arabidopsis genes to HL, taking advantage of the recently developed microarray technology. Our analysis revealed that 110 genes had a positive response to a 3 h treatment at a light intensity of 150 W m(-2). In addition to the scavenging enzymes of ROS, the genes involved in biosynthesis of lignins and flavonoids are activated by HL and actually resulted in increased accumulation of lignins and anthocyanins. Comparing the HL-responsive genes with drought-inducible genes identified with the same microarray system revealed a dense overlap between HL- and drought-inducible genes. In addition, we have identified 10 genes that showed upregulation by HL, drought, cold and also salt stress. These genes include RD29A, ERD7, ERD10, KIN1, LEA14 and COR15a, most of which are thought to be involved in the protection of cellular components.     

Synthesis of phosphoryl-tethered beta-cyclodextrins and their molecular and chiral recognition thermodynamics

Two novel phosphoryl-bridged bis- and tris(beta-cyclodextrin)s of different tether lengths, i.e., bis[m-(N-(6-cyclodextryl)-2-aminoethylaminosulfonyl)phenyl]-m-(chlorosulfonyl)phenylphosphine oxide (5) and tris[m-(N-(6-cyclodextryl)-8-amino-3,6-diazaoctylaminosulfonyl)phenyl]phosphine oxide (6), have been synthesized by reactions of 6-oligo(ethylenediamino)-6-deoxy-beta-cyclodextrins with tris[m-(chlorosulfonyl)phenyl]phosphine oxide. The complex stability constants (K(S)), standard molar enthalpy (Delta H degrees ), and entropy changes (Delta S degrees ) were determined at 25 degrees C for the inclusion complexation of phosphoryl-modified bis- and tris-cyclodextrins (5 and 6, respectively), mono[6-O-(ethoxyhydroxyphosphoryl)]-beta-cyclodextrin (2), mono[6-O-(diethylamino-ethoxyphosphoryl)]-beta-cyclodextrin (3), and mono[6-O-(diphenoxyphosphoryl)]-beta-cyclodextrin (4) with representative alicyclic and N-Cbz-D/L-alanine guests in 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution at pH 7.2 by means of titration microcalorimetry. The thermodynamic parameters obtained indicate that the charge-dipole interaction between the phosphoryl moiety and the negatively charged guests, as well as the conformational difference of modified beta-cyclodextrins in aqueous solution, significantly contribute to the inclusion complexation and the enhanced chiral discrimination. The interactions and binding modes between the hosts and chiral guests were further studied by two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy to elucidate the influence of the structural features of hosts on their increased chiral recognition ability and to establish the correlation between the conformation of the resulting complexes and the thermodynamic parameters obtained.     

Bovine serum albumin-mediated enantiodifferentiating photocyclodimerization of 2-anthracenecarboxylate

Enantiodifferentiating photocyclodimerization of 2-anthracenecarboxyalate (AC) was performed at 25 degrees C in aqueous buffer solution (pH 7) in the presence of bovine-serum albumin (BSA) to afford four [4 + 4] cyclodimers, i.e., anti- and syn-head-to-tail (HT) (1 and 2) and anti- and syn-head-to-head (HH) dimers (3 and 4), of which only 2 and 3 are chiral. We found that (1) BSA possesses four sets of binding sites for AC of different affinities, stoichiometries, and chiral environment for photoreaction, which bind 1, 3, 2, and 3 AC molecules with binding constants of 5.3 x 107, 1.3 x 105, 1.4 x 104, and 3.0 x 103 M-1, respectively, (2) the regioselectivity of photodimerization is switched from HT to HH by adding BSA (the HH/HT ratio varies from 0.28 to 4.3), (3) BSA-mediated photodimerization of AC affords optically active products 2 and 3 of up to 29% and 41% ee, respectively. It is emphasized that the selective excitation of bound substrate, utilizing the spectral shift upon complexation with BSA, is not a prerequisite for efficient photochirogenesis using biomolecules.     

Depth profiling in secondary ion mass spectrometry for ultra‐thin layer with nanometer order thickness by mesa‐structure fabrication

We attempted to make an accurate depth profiling in secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) including backside SIMS for ultra‐thin nanometer order layer. The depth profiles for HfO₂ layers that were 3 and 5 nm thick in a‐Si/HfO₂/Si were measured using quadrupole and magnetic sector type SIMS instruments. The depth profiling for an ultra‐thin layer with a high depth resolution strongly depends on how the crater‐edge and knock‐on effects can be properly reduced. Therefore, it is important to control the analyzing conditions, such as the primary ion energy, the beam focusing size, the incidence angle, the rastered area, and detected area to reduce these effects. The crater‐edge effect was significantly reduced by fabricating the sample into a mesa‐shaped structure using a photolithography technique. The knock‐on effect will be serious when the depth of the layer of interest from the surface is located within the depth of the ion mixing region due to the penetration of the primary ions. Finally, we were able to separately assign the origin of the distortion to the crater‐edge effect and knock‐on effect. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Molecular recognition of amines and amino esters by zinc porphyrin receptors: binding mechanisms and solvent effects

Zinc porphyrin receptors bearing 12 ester groups in the meso phenyl groups (1-3) were prepared, and binding of amines and alpha-amino esters was studied with emphasis on the binding mechanisms. The X-ray crystallographic analysis of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(2, 6-bis(carbomethoxymethoxy)-4-carbomethoxyphenyl)porphyrin (free base of 1) showed that the receptor has a binding pocket above the porphyrin plane. UV-visible titration experiments revealed that the zinc porphyrin receptors bound amines and alpha-amino esters with binding constants (K(a)) ranging from 0.5 to 52 700 M(-1) in CH(2)Cl(2) at 25 degrees C. The ester functional groups of 1 assisted the binding of aromatic alpha-amino esters (K(a) = 8 000-23 000 M(-1) in CH(2)Cl(2) at 25 degrees C) and inhibited the binding of bulky aliphatic alpha-amino esters (K(a) = 460 M(-1) for Leu-OMe in CH(2)Cl(2) at 25 degrees C), indicating that CH-pi type interactions and steric repulsions control the selectivity. The binding of amines and alpha-amino esters was tight both in a nonpolar solvent (CH(2)Cl(2)) and in a polar solvent (water) but loose in a solvent of intermediate polarity (H(2)O-MeOH (1:1)), demonstrating that two competitive driving forces are operating: (1) attractive electrostatic forces between host and guest such as coordination of the amino group to the zinc atom, and (2) entropic forces stemming from desolvation as well as enthalpic forces due to the host-guest dispersion forces. The former forces drive the binding in CH(2)Cl(2) while the latter forces drive the binding in water. The enthalpy changes in the binding in CH(2)Cl(2) and those in water range from -50 to -30 kJ mol(-1) and from -35 to 0 kJ mol(-1), respectively. The entropy changes in CH(2)Cl(2) and those in water range from -120 to -60 J K(-1) mol(-1) and from -50 to +60 J K(-1) mol(-1), respectively. Thus the binding in CH(2)Cl(2) is characterized by large negative enthalpy changes, while that in water by less negative entropy changes. These thermodynamic parameters also indicate that host-guest polar interactions (enthalpic forces) drive the binding in CH(2)Cl(2) while both host-guest dispersion interactions (an enthalpic force) and desolvation (an entropic force) drive the binding in water. Enthalpy-entropy compensation observed for the binding in water indicates that the binding of amines and amino esters in water by zinc porphyrins is associated with conformational changes as well as a high degree of dehydration. In CH(2)Cl(2), no clear compensation was observed, consistent with the mechanism that neither desolvation processes nor conformational changes contribute significantly to the binding energetics.     

Catalytic four-electron oxidation of water by intramolecular coupling of the oxo ligands of a bis(ruthenium-bipyridine) complex

A bis(ruthenium-bipyridine) complex bridged by 1,8-bis(2,2':6',2'-terpyrid-4'-yl)anthracene (btpyan), [Ru(2)(μ-Cl)(bpy)(2)(btpyan)](BF(4))(3) ([1](BF(4))(3); bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine), was prepared. The cyclic voltammogram of [1](BF(4))(3) in water at pH?1.0 displayed two reversible [Ru(II),Ru(II)](3+)/[Ru(II),Ru(III)](4+) and [Ru(II),Ru(III)](4+)/[Ru(III),Ru(III)](5+) redox couples at E(1/2)(1) = +0.61 and E(1/2)(2) = +0.80?V (vs. Ag/AgCl), respectively, and an irreversible anodic peak at around E = +1.2?V followed by a strong anodic currents as a result of the oxidation of water. The controlled potential electrolysis of [1](3+) ions at E = +1.60?V in water at pH?2.6 (buffered with H(3)PO(4)/NaH(2)PO(4)) catalytically evolved dioxygen. Immediately after the electrolysis of the [1](3+) ion in H(2)(16)O at E = +1.40?V, the resultant solution displayed two resonance Raman bands at nu = 442 and 824?cm(-1). These bands shifted to nu = 426 and 780?cm(-1), respectively, when the same electrolysis was conducted in H(2)(18)O. The chemical oxidation of the [1](3+) ion by using a Ce(IV) species in H(2)(16)O and H(2)(18)O also exhibited the same resonance Raman spectra. The observed isotope frequency shifts (Δnu = 16 and 44?cm(-1)) fully fit the calculated ones based on the Ru-O and O-O stretching modes, respectively. The first successful identification of the metal-O-O-metal stretching band in the oxidation of water indicates that the oxygen-oxygen bond at the stage prior to the evolution of O(2) is formed through the intramolecular coupling of two Ru-oxo groups derived from the [1](3+) ion.