Evaluation of calibration data in capillary electrophoresis using artificial neural networks to increase precision of analysis

An RP-HPLC study for the pKa determination of a series of basic compounds related to caproctamine, a dibenzylaminediamide reversible inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase, is reported. The 2-substituted analogues, bearing substituents with different electronegativity, were analysed by RP-HPLC by using C18 C4 stationary phases with a mobile phase consisting of mixture of acetonitrile and triethylamine phosphate buffer (pH range comprised between 4 and 10). Typical sigmoidal curves were obtained, showing the dependence of the capacity factors upon pH. In general, the retention of the investigated basic analytes increased with increasing of the pH. The inflection point of the pH sigmoidal dependence was used for the dissociation constant determination at a fixed acetonitrile percentage. When plotting pKa vs. percent of acetonitrile in the mobile phase for two representative compounds, linear regression were obtained: the y intercept gave the aqueous pKa(w). The pKa estimation by HPLC method was found to be useful to underline the difference of benzylamine basicity produced by the ortho aromatic substituents. The variation of pKa values (6.15-7.80) within the series of compounds was correlated with the electronic properties of the ortho-substituents through the Hammett sigma parameter, whereas the ability of substituents to accept H-bond was found to play a role in determining the conformational behavior of the molecules.     

Intercalation of cyclic ethers into vanadyl phosphate

Two cyclic ethers, tetrahydrofuran (THF) and tetrahydropyran (THP), were intercalated into vanadyl phosphate and characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, thermogravimetry, and IR and Raman spectroscopy. Both compounds contain one molecule of ether per formula unit of VOPO(4) and show high thermal stability in comparison with VOPO(4) intercalates with other organic guest molecules. Both ethers are anchored to the VOPO(4) host layers by their oxygen atoms, which are coordinated to the vanadium atoms of the host. The probable arrangement of the tetrahydropyran molecules in the host interlayer space is derived from molecular simulations by the Cerius(2) 4.5 program.     

Cyclic voltammetry of nucleic acids and determination of submicrogram quantities of deoxyribonucleic acids by adsorptive stripping voltammetry

In cyclic voltammetry (at a mercury drop electrode) guanine residues in the polynucleotide chain give a characteristic anodic peak at potentials close to ?0.3 V (vs. saturated calomel electrode). At low concentrations of polynucleotide, this peak can be enhanced substantially if the potential scan is preceded by adsorptive preconcentration of the polynucleotide at the hanging mercury drop electrode. With accumulation times shorter than 10 min at pH 6.8, the limit of detection of a single-stranded polynucleotide is < 0.1 μg ml^?1. The peak of double-helical deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is considerably lower than that of single-stranded DNA under the same conditions, which can be exploited to determine low concentrations of single-stranded DNA in the presence of double-stranded DNA.     

Layered double hydroxide intercalated with p-methylbenzoate and p-bromobenzoate: molecular simulations and XRD analysis

Samples of Mg4Al2 layered double hydroxide (LDH) intercalated with p-methylbenzoate and p-bromobenzoate anions were prepared by reconstruction of calcined LDH. The interlayer arrangement of guests was investigated by molecular modeling combined with X-ray powder diffraction and thermogravimetry. Molecular modeling was carried out in a Cerius2 modeling environment. In both structures the guest anions adopt a nearly perpendicular arrangement of their long axis with respect to the host layers and they are anchored to the OH groups of the layers through COO* groups via electrostatic interactions. Molecular modeling revealed that both structures of the intercalates exhibit a certain disorder of guest anions in the interlayer space. In the case of LDH-p-methylbenzoate intercalate the anions tend to be situated in disordered rows, and the LDH-p-bromobenzoate intercalate exhibits a total disorientation of guest anions. A good agreement between calculated and measured X-ray diffraction patterns and between experimental and calculated basal spacings was obtained. In the LDH-p-methylbenzoate intercalate d exp=16.96 A and d calc=16.97 A, and in the case of LDH-p-bromobenzoate intercalate d exp=17.19 A and d calc=17.40 A.     

Calorimetric examination of suitability of calcium,cobalt and nickel nitrate hydrates for thermal energy storage

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The influence of composition and neodymium doping on the crystallization kinetic of calcium aluminosilicate glasses, melted under vacuum atmosphere,...     

Modification of flow properties of concentrated lignite dispersions

Concentrated water-based lignite suspensions (pastes) possess unpleasant flow behaviour. Under extrusion-like conditions suspension is rapidly compacted, viscosity rises considerably and flow effectively ceases. Using diluted aqueous solution of carboxymethylcellulose sodium salt as a dispersion medium eliminates this adverse phenomenon and keeps liquid-like flowing of suspension. Moreover, effective dilatant suspension behaviour is transformed to pseudoplastic.     

An abstract analogon of the de Branges-Rovnyak functional model

Given a Hilbert spaceK generated by two of its subspaces,K=K ₁K ₂, we investigate the representation ofK inK ₁K ₂ which assigns to eachk K the pairPk=P(K ₁)k P(K ₂)k consisting of its orthogonal projections ontoK ₁ andK ₂.A part of this work was done during the visit of the second author at the University of Sevilla, Spain in September-October 1989. The support of Junta Andalusia is gratefully aknowledged.     

On entire matrix-valued functions

Let A(z) be a given polynomial n×n matrix with det A(z)=1. It is shown that there exists an entire matrix-valued function X(z) such that expX(z)=A(z) if and only if the eigenvalues of A(z) are independent of z.