Determination of catecholamines in pheochromocytoma cell (PC-12) culture medium by microdialysis-microbore liquid chromatography

An in vitro microdialysis system was constructed for the measurement of catecholamines in pheochromocytoma cell culture medium. The novel microdialysis device is composed of a petri dish, a dialysis membrane and two transmission tubes. The dialysis membrane is located in the space of a petri dish such that it is immersed in the culture medium. Catecholamines contained in the culture medium diffused into a designed dialysis membrane with sufficient recovery (about 60%). Dialysates were collected by a sampling loop and introduced by an on-line injector to a microbore liquid chromatographic system for analysis of catecholamines. This assay yielded a detection limit of 0.2–0.5 pg/injection with acceptable intra- and inter-assay reproducibilities in 5 μl of dialysates. To evaluate the on-line microdialysis system, PC-12 cells were cultured in a petri dish within an incubator. The baseline concentration of dopamine in PC-12 cell culture medium was about 0.29 ng/ml which was elevated to 2.43 ng/ml after treatment with 0.5 mM potassium cyanide. In conclusion, the present microassay provides for the sensitive, direct measurement of catecholamines in culture medium while minimizing pretreatment procedures for sample preparation.     

Ruling out harmonic couplings as a possible origin of an anomalous isotope effect on the ν5modes in H bonds

Measurements of the transition probabilities of all the IR bands of adipic acid crystals, polarized in the a, c plane and having frequencies in the range 1000–4000 cm^?1show that the anomalous value P_H/P_D= 2 found for the ratio of the transition probabilities of ν_s bands

and

cannot be due to a harmonic coupling of ν_s vibrations with other vibrations.     

Head-to-head polymers—I. The preparation and some properties of head-to-head polypropylene

Samples of head-to-head polypropylene have been prepared by the hydrogenation of two polydienes; 1,4-poly(2,4-hexadiene) and 1,4-poly(2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene). Glass transition temperatures were found to be marginally lower than for conventional polypropylene suggesting that the head-to-head placements in the chain increased the polymer flexibility.     

Electrochemical oxidation of alkyl-substituted allenes in methanol

Mono-, di- and tri-alkyl-substituted allenes were potentiostatically oxidized in methanol at graphite and Pt anodes. At the former electrode, α-methoxylated ketones (due to 4F/mole electricity consumption) and esters (6F/mole) were the major products. At a Pt anode, intermediate products such as vinyl-ether derivatives (2F/mole) were characterised too. Unlike the anodic oxidation of alkenes and alkynes previously reproted in the literature, dimerisation is not a typical process in the allenes' oxidation, since of all the products obtained only a sole dimer has been observed. The mechanism for the formation of most products is discussed.     

Octahedral cobalt(III) complexes of the chloropentammine type. XVII. Association and reaction of some halogenopentamminecobalt(III) and halogenopentamminechromium(III) cations with hydroxide in aqueous dioxan

The replacement, by hydroxide ion, of the coordinated halide from some halogenopentamminecobalt(III) and -Chromium(III) cations in aqueous dioxan has been studied over a range of alkali concentrations up to 0.1 M. With excess of hydroxide ion at constant ionic strength, pseudo first-order rate constants were obtained. The results support a pre-equilibrium association of complex and hydroxide ions in these media, but do not provide distinction as to whether the resulting ion-pair subsequently reacts by direct exchange or by proton removal. The extents of ion association are found to be greater for the cobalt(III) than for the chromium(III) system, increasing with the amount of dioxin in the solvent mixture.     

A surface adsorption model for electroless cobalt alloy thin films

Thin cobalt alloy films have been obtained using electroless deposition solution with two reducing agents: dimethylamine borane (DMAB) and sodium hypophosphite. This system allows spontaneous and self-activated deposition of barrier layers on Cu lines and via contacts for ultra large scale integration (ULSI) interconnects applications. This work presents a study of the solution composition effects on the material properties and composition of the films. First, we present the deposition rates, the electrical resistance, the various element profiles in the thin film, and the thin film roughness. Next, we discuss the film’s composition and its dependence on the ratio between the reducing agents composition in the solution. The experimental results suggest that the film phosphorous and boron composition is determined by the surface adsorption rates of the reducing agents. Therefore, a surface co-adsorption model of the two reducing agents is proposed, formulated, analyzed, and compared to the experimental results. Finally, we discuss the model and its significance to the formation of high-quality ultra-thin barrier layers. Dedicated to Professor Dr. Algirdas Vaskelis on the occasion of his 70th birthday.     

High performance polyethersulfone UF membrane for manufacturing spiral wound module: preparation,morphology, performance,and chemical cleaning

Large sheet asymmetric polyethersulfone (PES) ultrafiltration membranes were prepared via phase inversion process in a continuous conveyor system with addition of PVP to the casting solution. Dimethylacetamide (DMAc) and mixture of water and isopropyl alcohol (70/30 v%) were used as solvent and non‐solvent respectively. The prepared membrane was 0.96 m wide and 3 m long. The pieces of the membrane were selected randomly for characterization in terms of performance using cross flow filtration for milk concentration, image analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and cleaning procedures. It was found that the prepared membrane has high porosity and high water flux during milk filtration. In addition, cleaning experiments indicated that NaOH/HCl/NaOH sequence is an effective procedure for cleaning the fouled membrane during milk concentration. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preparation and Characterization of Sulfadiazine Schiff Base Complexes of Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Mn(II)

Complexes of Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Mn(II) containing Schiff base NOS donor ligands have been synthesised via chemical and electrochemical techniques. The structure of the complexes has been elucidated by elemental analysis, conductance, magnetic susceptibility measurements, IR, ESR, electronic spectral studies and thermal techniques (TGA and DTA). The electrochemical behaviour of the metal complexes was studied using DC polarography and cyclic voltammetry. Antimicrobial activity of the title Schiff base and its complexes has been tested against different microorganisms.     

Analysis of Zoledronic Acid and Its Related Substances by Ion-Pair RP-LC

A simple high-performance liquid chromatographic method – ion-pair reversed- phase high performance liquid chromatography (RPIC) has been developed and employed for the analysis of zoledronic acid and its related substances in bulk material and commercial dosage forms. The mobile phase was a mixture of methanol (20%) and 5 mmol L^–1 phosphate buffer (80%) containing 6 mmol L^–1 tetrabutylammonium bromide, adjusted to pH 7.0 with sodium hydroxide. C₈ column was used as the stationary phase. The chromatographic conditions were optimized. The active ingredient – zoledronic acid was successfully separated from its related substances, including remained imidazol-1-yiacetic acid in the synthesis of zoledronic acid and other possible impurities of oxidation and decomposition. The excipients did not interfere with the determination of zoledronic acid in commercial dosage formulations. The method was rapid, simple, accurate and reproducible. It was not only successfully employed for the assay of zoledronic acid in bulk material and pharmaceutical dosage forms but also for the determination of its related substances.     

Forces between a Rigid Probe Particle and a Liquid Interface

The effect of disjoining pressure between a rigid spherical probe particle (attached to an AFM cantilever) and a liquid interface (e.g., oil/water or air/water) is treated in an analytic manner to describe the total force F exerted on the probe as a function of the distance X of the probe from the rigid substrate (AFM stage) on which the liquid interface resides. Two cases (i) a flat interface under gravity and (ii) a drop whose size is sufficiently small that gravity can be neglected have been examined. A simple numerical algorithm is given for computing F(X) (the AFM observable) from a given form for the disjoining pressure. Numerical results are displayed for electrostatic probe/interface interactions which reveal the linear compliance regime experimentally observed in AFM experiments on these systems. The slope of the linear compliance regime is shown to be a function of the properties of the interface (capillary length, particle radius, drop size, contact angle of drop on rigid substrate etc.). Copyright 2001 Academic Press.