On the calculation of a limit for infinite systems from data on finite systems

We propose a mathematical model for the calculation of physical or chemical properties of infinite polymers, based on data for structurally closely related finite molecules. The modelling is phenomenological but permits a physical interpretation of the parameters involved in the equations. Received: 11 June 1996 / Accepted: 5 June 1997     

Mesoporous materials for drug delivery

Research on mesoporous materials for biomedical purposes has experienced an outstanding increase during recent years. Since 2001, when MCM-41 was first proposed as drug-delivery system, silica-based materials, such as SBA-15 or MCM-48, and some metal-organic frameworks have been discussed as drug carriers and controlled-release systems. Mesoporous materials are intended for both systemic-delivery systems and implantable local-delivery devices. The latter application provides very promising possibilities in the field of bone-tissue repair because of the excellent behavior of these materials as bioceramics. This Minireview deals with the advances in this field by the control of the textural parameters, surface functionalization, and the synthesis of sophisticated stimuli-response systems.     

Probing the Intracellular Glutathione Redox Potential by In‐Cell NMR Spectroscopy

Non‐invasive and real‐time analysis of cellular redox processes has been greatly hampered by lack of suitable measurement techniques. Here we describe an in‐cell nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) based method for measuring the intracellular glutathione redox potential by direct and quantitative measurement of isotopically labeled glutathione introduced exogenously into living yeast. By using this approach, perturbations in the cellular glutathione redox homeostasis were also monitored as yeast cells were subjected to oxidative stress.     

Determination of sulfur and selected trace elements in metallothionein-like proteins using capillary electrophoresis hyphenated to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with an octopole reaction cell

The determination of sulfur in biologically relevant samples such as metalloproteins is described. The analytical methodology used is based on robust on-line coupling between capillary electrophoresis (CE) and octopole reaction cell inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ORC–ICP–MS). Polyatomic ions that form in the plasma and interfere with the determination of S at mass 32 are minimised by addition of xenon to the collision cell. The method has been applied to the separation and simultaneous element-specific detection of sulfur, cadmium, copper, and zinc in commercially available metallothionein preparations (MT) and metallothionein-like proteins (MLP) extracted from liver samples of bream (Abramis brama L.) caught in the river Elbe, Germany. Instrumental detection limits have been calculated according to the German standard procedure DIN 32645 for the determination of sulfur and some simultaneously measured trace elements in aqueous solution. For sulfur detection limits down to 1.3 g L^–1 (³⁴S) and 3.2 g L^–1 (³²S) were derived. For the other trace elements determined simultaneously detection limits ranging from 300 ng L^–1 (⁵⁸Ni) to 500 ng L^–1 (⁶⁶Zn, ⁵⁵Mn) were achieved. For quantification of sulfur and cadmium in a commercially available MT preparation under hyphenated conditions the use of external calibration is suggested. Finally, the need for proper sample-preparation technique will be discussed.     

Reducing methane formation in methanol to olefins reaction on metal impregnated SAPO-34 molecular sieve

SAPO-34 silicoaluminophosphate molecular sieve produces large amounts of methane at elevated temperatures in the methanol to olefins (MTO) process. This significantly reduces the lower olefins selectivity a key factor in determining the commercial viability of this catalyst. Impregnation of the SAPO-34 molecular sieve with metal ions such as K, Cs, Pt, Ag and Ce was found to reduce the amount of methane significantly at higher temperatures thereby increasing the lower olefins selectivity. This observed effect is less apparent at lower temperatures where the amount of methane formed is generally low. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Synthesis of 2D Germanane (GeH): a New,Fast, and Facile Approach

Germanane (GeH), a germanium analogue of graphane, has recently attracted considerable interest because its remarkable combination of properties makes it an extremely suitable candidate to be used as 2D material for field effect devices, photovoltaics, and photocatalysis. Up to now, the synthesis of GeH has been conducted by substituting Ca by H in a β‐CaGe₂ layered Zintl phase through topochemical deintercalation in aqueous HCl. This reaction is generally slow and takes place over 6 to 14 days. The new and facile protocol presented here allows to synthesize GeH at room temperature in a significantly shorter time (a few minutes), which renders this method highly attractive for technological applications. The GeH produced with this method is highly pure and has a band gap (E_g) close to 1.4 eV, a lower value than that reported for germanane synthesized using HCl, which is promising for incorporation of GeH in solar cells.     

Snake Venom Components: Tools and Cures to Target Cardiovascular Diseases

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are considered as a major cause of death worldwide. Therefore, identifying and developing therapeutic strategies to treat and reduce the prevalence of CVDs is a major medical challenge. Several drugs used for the treatment of CVDs, such as captopril, emerged from natural products, namely snake venoms. These venoms are complex mixtures of bioactive molecules, which, among other physiological networks, target the cardiovascular system, leading to them being considered in the development and design of new drugs. In this review, we describe some snake venom molecules targeting the cardiovascular system such as phospholipase A2 (PLA2), natriuretic peptides (NPs), bradykinin-potentiating peptides (BPPs), cysteine-rich secretory proteins (CRISPs), disintegrins, fibrinolytic enzymes, and three-finger toxins (3FTXs). In addition, their molecular targets, and mechanisms of action—vasorelaxation, inhibition of platelet aggregation, cardioprotective activities—are discussed. The dissection of their biological effects at the molecular scale give insights for the development of future snake venom-derived drugs.     

Mass Activated Droplet Sorting (MADS) Enables High‐Throughput Screening of Enzymatic Reactions at Nanoliter Scale

Microfluidic droplet sorting enables the high‐throughput screening and selection of water‐in‐oil microreactors at speeds and volumes unparalleled by traditional well‐plate approaches. Most such systems sort using fluorescent reporters on modified substrates or reactions that are rarely industrially relevant. We describe a microfluidic system for high‐throughput sorting of nanoliter droplets based on direct detection using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS). Droplets are split, one portion is analyzed by ESI‐MS, and the second portion is sorted based on the MS result. Throughput of 0.7 samples s^?1 is achieved with 98 % accuracy using a self‐correcting and adaptive sorting algorithm. We use the system to screen ≈15 000 samples in 6 h and demonstrate its utility by sorting 25 nL droplets containing transaminase expressed in vitro. Label‐free ESI‐MS droplet screening expands the toolbox for droplet detection and recovery, improving the applicability of droplet sorting to protein engineering, drug discovery, and diagnostic workflows.     

The Ideal Ionic Liquid Salt Bridge for the Direct Determination of Gibbs Energies of Transfer of Single Ions,Part I: The Concept

Described is a procedure for the thermodynamically rigorous, experimental determination of the Gibbs energy of transfer of single ions between solvents. The method is based on potential difference measurements between two electrochemical half cells with different solvents connected by an ideal ionic liquid salt bridge (ILSB). Discussed are the specific requirements for the IL with regard to the procedure, thus ensuring that the liquid junction potentials (LJP) at both ends of the ILSB are mostly canceled. The remaining parts of the LJPs can be determined by separate electromotive force measurements. No extra‐thermodynamic assumptions are necessary for this procedure. The accuracy of the measurements depends, amongst others, on the ideality of the IL used, as shown in our companion paper Part II.