Aristotelinone and serratoline: New indole alkaloids from Aristotelia serrata W.R.B. Oliver

Aristotelinone and serratoline, two new Aristotelia alkaloids, are shown to have indole and indolenine structures respectively from their spectra and reduction products.     

Investigations of the use of 4-(5-nonyl)pyridine as a liquid anion exchanger for tetrachloroferrate ions in aqueous chloride media

In an attempt to gain an understanding of factors affecting the extraction of iron(III) by 4-(5-nonyl)pyridine, the equilibria between hydrogen chloride and benzene solutions of 4-(5-nonyl)pyridine have been studied. From acid distribution data and visible absorption spectra of the organic phases, it was concluded that FeCl ₄ ⁻ ion, with a tetrahedral sp³ configuration is the principal iron containing species. The pyridine extraction of macro and trace amounts of the metal has indicated the formation of 1∶1 and 2∶1 complexes respectively. The 2∶1 complexes are assumed to result from association of a 1∶1 complex with a molecule of the pyridine hydrochloride. The salting-out effect increases in the order, LiCl<NaCl<MgCl₂<AlCl₃ and these differences in the effect have been attributed to the different degree of hydration of cations of the salts present and to the ionic radii. The effect of various anions including the reducing agents have been described. Separation factors of several metal ions relative to ferric iron, in 6M HCl, are also reported.     

Simple regge pole model for the reactionπ − p →η’n

The most recently measured differential cross-section data forπ ⁻ p → η’n has been fitted by using a simple Regge pole model with phenomenological residue functions. It has also been observed that this inelastic process has the scaling property.     

The determination of technetium-99 in seawater and marine algae

Technetium-99 is preconcentrated from acidified seawater containing a trace of bromine by adsorbing it as the pertechnetate ion on the anion exchanger Duolite A101D. After elution with 4 M nitric acid, it is purified from other radionuclides by scavenging with hydrous iron(III) oxide and extracting from 5 M sodium hydroxide medium into methyl ethyl ketone. The organic phase is then evaporated and technetium is electrodeposited from oxalic acid medium onto a bronze disc and counted with a low background β-counter. Overall recovery is > 90% and the precision is ±0.2 pCi l^-1 at a technetium level of 0.6–1.0 pCi l^-1. Concentrations of the radionuclide in the central Irish Sea were found to lie in the range 0.4–2 pCi l^-1. The same analytical scheme can be used for determining the element in nitric acid digests of marine algae.     

Robust synchronization of a class of uncertain chaotic systems based on quadratic optimal theory and adaptive strategy

This paper presents a chaos synchronization method for a class of uncertain chaotic systems using the combination of an optimal control theory and an adaptive strategy. A quadratic optimal regulator and an adaptive control are used to represent the controller's structure. The asymptotic stability of the corresponding error dynamical system is guaranteed through Lyapunov stability analysis. The proposed controller is employed in two uncertain chaotic Lu systems, and their promising performances are illustrated.     

Syntheses and characterization of Sr(OH)2 and SrCO3 nanostructures by ultrasonic method

The Sr(OH)₂ and SrCO₃ nanostructures were synthesized by reaction of strontium(II) acetate and sodium hydroxide or tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) via ultrasonic method. Reaction conditions, such as the concentration of the Sr²⁺ ion, aging time, power of the ultrasonic device and alkali salts show important roles in the size, morphology and growth process of the final products. The pure crystalline SrCO₃ were obtained by heating of product at 400 °C. The Sr(OH)₂ and SrCO₃ nanostructures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), thermal gravimetric (TG), differential thermal analyses (DTA) and the infrared spectroscopy (IR).     

Ultrasound-induced membrane lipid peroxidation and cell damage of Escherichia coli in the presence of non-woven TiO2 fabrics

A non-woven titanium dioxide (TiO₂) fabric was applied to disinfection by ultrasound (US) irradiation, and the disinfection efficiency and lipid peroxidation of Escherichia coli (E. coli) cell membrane were evaluated to investigate the killing process. The addition of non-woven TiO₂ fabric enhanced hydroxyl (OH) radical generation and disinfection efficiency. Judging from the disinfection experiments using glutathione or t-butanol as a radical scavenger, the OH radical played a major role in cell killing in sonodynamic disinfection with non-woven TiO₂ fabric. Moreover, to understand the detailed killing process, damage to cell membrane was also evaluated using a diphenyl-1-pyrenylphosphine (DPPP) fluorescent probe, which detects the membrane’s lipid peroxidation. The addition of non-woven TiO₂ fabric aggravated this peroxidation. This aggravation was caused by the OH radical according to an assay using a radical scavenger. From these results, it was concluded that non-woven TiO₂ fabric as a sonocatalyst promoted peroxidation of the polyunsaturated phospholipid component of the lipid membrane initially and induced a major disorder in the E. coli cell membrane under US irradiation.