Thermal decomposition of surface compounds for the generation of small quantities of acetaldehyde: Calibration of a thermal desorption-gas chromatography-flame ionization detection

The paper presents a new method for the generation of acetaldehyde in the amounts that allow to calibrate the measuring system. The method is based on thermal decomposition of surface compounds at the range 130-190 °C, in which an acetaldehyde as the decomposition product is released. The synthetic pathway leading to the desired surface compounds is described. Investigations demonstrated that the synthesis of the compounds on the surface of the support material (silica gel) was carried out homogeneously. The technique proposed was used for the generation of gaseous standard mixtures containing acetaldehyde for the calibration of a thermal desorber-gas chromatograph-flame ionization detector system.     

In-house quality control material of nicarbazin and narasin in eggs: preparation and inter-laboratory evaluation

Coccidiostats are a group of pharmacologically active substances widely used in veterinary practice. Their residues are detected relatively often in poultry tissues and egg samples analyzed as part of official residue control programs in the European Union. Therefore, accuracy of quantitative results needs to be monitored through internal and external quality control studies. In addition, the use of materials containing incurred residues would be welcome to for ongoing monitoring of the method accuracy. Unfortunately, in the field of veterinary drug residues, certified reference materials are often unavailable. Therefore, in-house quality control material of incurred lyophilized eggs containing narasin and nicarbazin has been produced and characterized. The eggs originated from hens receiving feed with coccidiostat premix Maxiban were mixed to obtain presumed concentrations of residues and freeze-dried. Homogeneity of the material was verified by the duplicate analysis of ten random samples, and the results proved that the between samples variation was negligible in comparison with the method repeatability. No measurable loss of analytes was observed within 1 year; the slope of the regression line of the results of stability measurements was not significantly different from zero. The assigned values were expressed as medians of the results of inter-laboratory comparison performed in four different European laboratories; the uncertainty of the material was estimated, taken into consideration all above tests, resulting in (14.4 ± 2.53) µg/kg for nicarbazin and (7.91 ± 1.52) µg/kg for narasin.     

Synthesis and characterisation of PEG-peptide surfaces for proteolytic enzyme detection

Peptide surfaces were obtained by the covalent immobilisation of fluorescently labelled pentapeptides carboxyfluorescein–glycine–arginine–methionine–leucine–glycine, either directly or through a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) linker on modified silicon wafers. Each step during the preparation of the peptide surfaces was confirmed by several surface characterisation techniques. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to determine the surface composition, the wafers philicity was measured by contact angle and atomic force microscopy was used to investigate the surface morphology. Exposure of the peptide surfaces to trypsin resulted in the release of a fluorescently labelled peptide product, which allowed the kinetics of the enzymatic reaction to be followed with the aid of fluorescence spectroscopy. The electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry analysis of the post-digestion solution confirmed that the pentapeptides attached to the solid support undergo specific trypsin hydrolysis at the C-terminus of the arginine residues. Detailed surface analyses before and after the enzyme action was performed using ToF-SIMS. Because of the limited accessibility of the short peptide directly attached to the surface, a quantitative yield of enzymatic hydrolysis was observed only in case when the peptide was bound through the PEG linker. The insertion of the PEG linker increased the number of immobilised peptides and the rate of enzymatic digestion which consequently improved the quality of the enzyme assays. The described approach may be used for different peptide sequences designed for other proteases.

Detection of a ferroelastic phase transition in Csx(NH4)1−xLiSO4 with the use of the DSC method

In this paper the technology of producing solid solutions of Cs_x(NH₄)_1?xLiSO₄ using the slow evaporation method is presented. Appropriate conditions were chosen to grow large samples. The ammonium ion content in the solid solutions was determined using the Kjeldahl method. It was found that the real ammonium ion concentration is twice lower than the one applied in the initial substances. At room temperature, the base crystal, lithium cesium sulfate (CsLiSO₄), is paraelastic, whereas lithium ammonium sulfate (NH₄LiSO₄) is ferroelectric. It is expected that as a result of substituting Cs⁺ ions with $ N{\text{H}}_{4}^{ + } $ N H 4 + ions, instead of the Cs⁺ ions, the modification of the ferroic properties of solid solutions of Cs_x(NH₄)_1?xLiSO₄ will take place. Tests conducted with the use of the differential scanning calorimetry method (DSC) allowed the detection of the ferroelastic phase transition which takes place in these compounds. A gradual increase of temperature transition was observed from 202 K for the pure CsLiSO₄ to 203.8 K for Cs_0.90(NH₄)_0.10LiSO₄ and 230.1 K for Cs_0.85(NH₄)_0.15LiSO₄ with the increase of $ N{\text{H}}_{4}^{ + } $ N H 4 + ions concentration. Using polarized light microscopy, a ferroelastic domain structure was detected in the examined solid solutions, which appeared below the structural phase transition temperature.     

Mimicking photosynthesis in a computationally designed synthetic metalloprotein

While advances in protein design have made possible the construction of protein architectures with nativelike properties and predictable structures and function, there are as of yet no examples of functional, protein-based, solar energy conversion systems. This communication describes the design and characterization of an artificial reaction center (RC) protein that closely resembles the function of the natural photosynthetic RC. The synthetic protein, designed by the protein design program CORE, participates in multiple reduction/oxidation cycles with exogenous acceptors/donors following photoexcitation. The designed metalloprotein, aRC, consists of a tetrahelical bundle functionalized with two bis-histidine bound metal cofactors: a Ru(bpy)2 moiety and a heme group. Two distinct bis-histidine binding sites were engineered for each of these metal centers. Photoexcitation of aRC results in rapid ET from the RuII complex to the heme group (kET >/= 5 x 1010 s-1) yielding a long-lived (70 ns) charge-separated state (CSS), RuIII/FeII. This long-lived CSS participates in subsequent ET reactions with exogenous donors and acceptors in multiple photocycles, thus mimicking the basic function of native photosynthetic RCs. This study illustrates the successful design and construction of a protein-based functional charge separation device using a combination of automated computational protein design and knowledge of the engineering principles of biological electron tunneling extracted from natural electron-transfer systems. To our knowledge, this represents the first example of a functional protein-based artificial reaction center.     

Salinity and pH as factors affecting the passive sampling and extraction of pharmaceuticals from water

Passive sampling is an attractive technique for the long‐term monitoring of pharmaceuticals in the water environment. The reliability of the received results depends on the properly performed calibration, namely the determination of analyte sampling rates. This step can be the source of a systematic error, as the sampling rate values are dependent on the water donor phase parameters. This is especially important for pharmaceuticals, since their chemical characteristics and ionic form change with pH. In this study, the cross‐effect of pH (3, 7, and 9) and salinity (0, 7, and 35 practical salinity unit, using artificial sea water) on the passive sampling of 21 pharmaceuticals (antiparasitics, beta‐blockers, non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs, sulfonamides) was tested. The primarily determined parameter was the sampling rate. In addition, the extraction efficiency, partitioning coefficient, and the concentration of the analytes on the sorbent were calculated. Generally, for the non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs, beta‐blockers, and antiparasitics, the change both in pH and salinity had a negligible impact on the mentioned experimental parameters. In contrast, the extraction of sulfonamides was impacted by both pH and salinity, while lipophilicity was not a decisive parameter.     

Stereocontrolled Synthesis of Chiral Heteroaromatic Propellers with Small Optical Bandgaps

Chiral heteroaromatic propellers based on radially π‐extended hexapyrrolohexaazacoronenes were obtained in a concise synthesis from suitably functionalized donor–acceptor monopyrroles. To overcome steric hindrance, a new cyclodehydrogenation method was developed, and it uses bromine electrophiles as oxidative coupling agents instead of the commonly employed high‐potential oxidants. The new reaction offers high yields of propeller‐shaped targets, even for electron‐deficient precursors, and shows electrophile‐dependent stereoselectivity, with N‐bromosuccinimide and dibromine yielding, respectively D₆‐ and C₂‐symmetric products. The propeller azacoronenes are chiral and can be separated into configurationally stable enantiomers. In addition to providing steric bulk, peripheral functionalization considerably affects the electronic properties of the propellers, which exhibit reduced optical and electrochemical band gaps, and a more clearly defined electroreduction behavior.     

N → Sn coordination in the complexes of tin halides with pyridine: A comparison between Sn(II) and Sn(IV)

The experimentally well‐known complexation of tin(II) and tin(IV) halides with pyridine (py) leads to structures showing N → Sn coordination. In the present work, the complexes SnX_n·mpy (where X = F, Cl, Br, I; n = 2, 4; m = 1, 2) possessing this kind of coordination were studied using a computational quantum chemical approach. Various aspects in the theoretical picture of these complexes were examined to find similarities and differences in their N → Sn coordination. The aspects included, among others, the physical nature of intermolecular interactions, and their role in establishing the structure and energetic stabilization of the complexes. In this context, the effect of tin valency was inspected in great detail. As proven by several theoretical methods, a largely ionic character with a certain covalent component can be attributed to the studied N → Sn coordination, irrespective of tin valency. All complexes are destabilized by py‐py and three‐body interactions, but the Sn(II) complexes experience it to a greater extent. Marked differences are observed in the structural behavior of N → Sn and SnX_n during complex formation. This affects the energetics of complexation and, in consequence, the penta‐coordinated Sn(IV) center shows a higher propensity to expand its coordination number, compared with the tri‐coordinated Sn(II) center. The present study supplements the experimental characterization of SnX_n·mpy and, in general, it sheds light on the coordination of heteroaromatic nitrogen to tin. The survey of the Cambridge Structural Database revealed that such coordination occurred in a number of crystal structures.     

Donor–acceptor nonradiative energy transfer mediated by surface plasmons on ultrathin metallic films

Selected properties of donor–acceptor energy transfer in the presence of surface plasmon coupled emission (SPCE) on metallic nanofilms are demonstrated. These properties of surface plasmon mediated energy transfer (SPMET) are for the first time compared to those of traditional energy transfer (ET) based on the same donor–acceptor system. The presence of plasmons significantly accelerates energy transfer as revealed by the results of fluorescence intensity decay. In particular, the rise time of acceptor fluorescence intensity upon donor excitation is 10 times shorter in the presence of SPCE. It is also observed that contrary to ET the sensibilized acceptor emission in SPMET is totally linearly polarized.