Oxygen uptake photosensitized by disorganized chlorophyll in model systems and thylakoids of greening barley

Light-dependent oxygen uptake was observed and studied in thylakoids from early greening barley in comparison to oxygen uptake in chlorophyll solutions and in thylakoids from fully green leaves. Substantial oxygen uptake was observed in chlorophyll solutions supplemented with tryptophan, histidine, ascorbic acid or linoleic acid. This uptake was diminished by adding azide, beta-carotene and alpha-tocopherol, which are specific singlet-oxygen quenchers. Illuminated thylakoids from greening barley also exhibited marked oxygen uptake that, likewise, was strongly quenched by azide. In comparison, azide was found not to affect oxygen uptake that is associated with the methyl viologen-catalyzed Mehler reaction. It is reasoned that in the first two cases the oxygen uptake arises from chlorophyll-photosensitized activation of oxygen to the singlet state and its consumption by exogenous or endogenous substrates. In greening, we propose that disorganized chlorophyll photo-sensitizes the oxygen uptake.     

Investigation of N-nitrohydrazines by the NMR method

Functionally substituted N-nitrohydrazines were studied by heteronuclear NMR. It was shown that all the investigated products from nitration of the trimethylsilyl derivatives of functionally substituted hydrazines contain the N-NO₂ fragment. The chemical shift of the nitrogen atoms of the hydrazine fragment in the¹⁵N NMR spectra and the spin-spin coupling constants were used as the main tests for structural identification. It was established that the number of recordable conformers decreases in the transition from the trimethylsilyl phenylhydrazine derivatives to the nitrohydrazines as a result of the conformational flexibility of the N(NO₂)CO fragment.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 9, pp. 2024–2031, September, 1991.     

Determination of traces of palladium using radioactive zinc dithizonate as a reagent

A radioreagent method for the analysis of traces of palladium using radioactive zinc dithizonate as the reagent has been developed. The method is rapid, highly selective and palladium concentration down to 2 g present in 10 ml solution can be measured.     

An X-ray fluorescence method for gold determination in ore samples

A new method for gold determination in ore is presented. By the method called PREFIX (preconcentration and X-ray fluorescence), it is possible to detect trace concentrations of gold down to the level of 0.2 g/g, without any device.     

Sulfanilamide-containing coordination compounds of Cu(II) with isatin and N-methylisatin thiosemicarbazones

Isatin (L¹) and N-methylisatin (L²) β-thiosemicarbazones react in ethanol with Cu(II) chloride and bromide in the presence of sulfanilamide (Streptocid, Sf¹), N-acetylsulfanilamide (Sulfacyl, Sf²), Norsulfazole (Sf³), Aethazolum (Sf⁴), and Sulfadimesine (Sf⁵) to form coordination compounds Cu(Sf^1–5)L^1–2X₂ · nH₂O (X = Cl, Br; n = 2–5). All the complexes have a monomeric structure. Thiosemicarbazones L¹ and L² in these complexes are tridentate O,N,S ligands, and sulfanilamides Sf^1–5 are monodentate ligands. Thermolysis of the substances involves the steps of dehydration (70–95°C) and complete decomposition (410–530°C).     

Ductile-to-ductile transition in dispersely filled composites based on thermoplastic polymers

The fracture mechanism for rubber-filled composites based on gutta-percha, LDPE, medium-density PE, and rubber particles has been studied. An increase in the concentration of filler particles leads to a change in the stress-strain behavior of the composites from neck propagation to homogeneous plastic deformation. For the filled composites, the criterion for the ductile-to-ductile transition is the equality of yield and draw stresses. The critical concentration of rubber particles at the ductile-to-ductile transition is controlled by the ratio between the yield stress of matrix polymer and the neck propagation stress. Transition from neck propagation to homogeneous plastic flow of the material is accomplished under two conditions: the breaking strength of the polymer matrix should be higher than the yield stress, and stretching of the composite should not be accompanied by the formation of diamond cracks. The latter condition is fulfilled when the dimensions of rubber particles are below a certain critical value, which is determined by the ductility of the matrix.     

NdFeO3 as a new electrocatalytic material for the electrochemical monitoring of dopamine

A new electrochemical sensor, based on NdFeO₃ nanoparticles as electrocatalytic material, was proposed here for the detection of dopamine (DA). NdFeO₃ nanoparticles were first synthesized by a simple thermal treatment method and subsequent annealing at high temperature (700 °C). The prepared electrocatalytic material has been characterized in detail by SEM-EDX, XRD, and Raman techniques. Characterization results display its sheet-like morphology, constituted by a porous network of very small orthorhombic NdFeO₃ nanoparticles. NdFeO₃ electrocatalytic material was then used to modify the working electrode of screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs). Electrochemical tests demonstrated that NdFeO₃– modified screen-printed carbon electrode (NdFeO₃/SPCE) exhibited a remarkable enhancement of the dopamine electrooxidation, compared to the bare SPCE one. The analytical performance of the developed sensor has been evaluated for the detection of this analyte by means of the square-wave voltammetry (SWV) technique. The modified electrode showed two linear concentration ranges, from 0.5 to 100 μM and 150 to 400 μM, respectively, a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.27 μM (at S/N = 3), and good reproducibility, stability, and selectivity. Additionally, we also report an attempt made to propose the modified sensor for the simultaneous detection of dopamine and uric acid (UA). The procedure was also applied for the determination of dopamine in spiked real samples. So, this paper reports for the first time the use of a modified NdFeO₃ screen-printed electrode for developing an electrochemical sensor for the quantification of important biomolecules.

Graphical abstract

     

Reactivity of Cage-Like Amines toward p-Toluenesulfonyl Chloride and Diphenyl Chlorophosphate in Acetonitrile

The nucleophilic reactivity of amines of the norbornane, norbornene, and adamantane series toward ptoluenesulfonyl chloride and diphenyl chlorophosphate in acetonitrile at 25°C is determined mainly by the steric factor. Parameters characterizing spatial accessibility of the reaction center in the amine molecule have been determined. Cage-like substituents show no appreciable effect on the amine reactivity, as compared to common alkyl groups.     

Titrimetric estimation of phosphate, molybdate, tungstate and sulphate with lead nitrate solution, using 1,2-naphthoquinone-2-semicarbazone-4-sulphonic acid (NQS-4S) and 1,2-naphthoquinone-2-thiosemicarbazone-4-sulphonic acid (NQTS-4S) as visual indicators

The use of 1,2-naphthoquinone-2-semicarbazone-4-sulphonic acid and 1,2-naphtho-quinone-2-thiosemicarbazone-4-sulphoic acid as indicators in the titrimetric estimation of phosphate, molybdate, tungstate and sulphate with lead has been examined. The precision, accuracy and applicability of the methods have been evaluated.