Reaction of methyl 4-nitrobenzenesulfonate with Br- in water-formamide tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide micellar solutions

Summary The reaction methyl 4-nitrobenzenesulfonate + Br^- was studied in water-formamide tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide micellar solutions. A pseudophase kinetic model was used to quantitatively rationalize the kinetic micellar effects observed     

Modeling deoxyribose radicals by neutralization-reionization mass spectrometry. Part 1. Preparation,dissociations, and energetics of 2-hydroxyoxolan-2-yl radical,neutral isomers,and cations

Collisional neutralization of several isomeric C(4)H(7)O(2) cations is used to generate radicals that share some structural features with transient species that are thought to be produced by radiolysis of 2-deoxyribose. The title 2-hydroxyoxolan-2-yl radical (1) undergoes nearly complete dissociation when produced by femtosecond electron transfer from thermal organic electron donors dimethyl disulfide and N,N-dimethylaniline in the gas phase. Product analysis, isotope labeling ((2)H and (18)O), and potential energy surface mapping by ab initio calculations at the G2(MP2) and B3-PMP2 levels of theory and in combination with Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus (RRKM) kinetic calculations are used to assign the major and some minor pathways for 1 dissociations. The major (approximately 90%) pathway is initiated by cleavage of the ring C-5[bond]O bond in 1 and proceeds to form ethylene and *CH(2)COOH as main products, whereas loss of a hydrogen atom forms 4-hexenoic acid as a minor product. Loss of the OH hydrogen atom forming butyrolactone (2, approximately 9%) and cleavage of the C-3[bond]C-4 bonds (<1%) in 1 are other minor pathways. The major source of excitation in 1 is by Franck-Condon effects that cause substantial differences between the adiabatic and vertical ionization of 1 (5.40 and 6.89 eV, respectively) and vertical recombination in the precursor ion 1(+) (4.46 eV). (+)NR(+) mass spectra distinguish radical 1 from isomeric radicals 2-oxo-(1H)oxolanium (3), 1,3-dioxan-2-yl (9), and 1,3-dioxan-4-yl (10) that were generated separately from their corresponding ion precursors.     

Determination of bismuth, indium and lead in geological samples by electrothermal AAS Part 2. Comparative study of palladium and molybdenum containing chemical modifiers*

A comparative and systematic study has been carried out of the effects of palladium and molybdenum containing chemical modifiers, such as Pd + Rh, Pd + Pt, Pd + Ru, Pd + Rh + Pt, Pd + Rh + Ru, Mo + Pd, Mo + Rh, Mo + Ru and Mo + Pt and additionally tartaric acid (TA) as a reducing agent together with mixed modifiers for the thermal stabilization of Bi, In and Pb in a Zeeman electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometer (ETAAS). The effect of the mass ratios of the mixed modifier components on the maximum pretreatment temperature for the analytes has been determined. The modifier mixtures of Pd + Rh + Pt, Mo + Pd + TA and Mo + Pt + TA were found to be especially powerful for the determination of Bi, In and Pb. These mixed modifiers could increase the ashing temperatures of the analytes up to 1250–1400° C. They were applied to the determination of Bi and Pb in dissolved geological reference samples and accuracy and precision of the method were thereby enhanced. The percent relative error was decreased from 20.0 to 0.4 for Bi and from 10.5 to 0.3 for Pb, depending on the sample type. Received: 9 May 1997 / Revised: 19 August 1997 / Accepted: 20 August 1997     

Complexation of well-controlled low-molecular weight polyelectrolytes with antisense oligonucleotides

The influences of polymer-related properties such as molecular weight, charge density, counter ion, and hydrophilic block on the complexation of polyelectrolytes and a fluorescein-labeled oligonucleotide (ON) were investigated. A series of well-defined and well-controlled 2-(N,N-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) polymers and block copolymers were prepared using living anionic and radical polymerization methods. Fluorescence measurement was used to reveal the effects of polymer molecular weight, charge density, and counter ion type on the complexation. PolyDMAEMA samples having double molecular weights of the chosen oligonucleotide gave the optimal complexation performance. Kinetic studies showed that high-molecular weight/high-charge density polymer samples produced very stable complexes. The fully charged polyDMAEMA displayed the strongest binding with the ON. These complexes were therefore less sensitive to the changes in the environment. PolyDMAEMA–DMSQ samples had slightly higher complexation ability than polyDMAEMA–MCQ (DMSQ: dimethylsulfate quat; MCQ: methylchloride quat). Both poly(DMAEMA-b-HEMA) and poly(DMAEMA–MCQ-b-PEG) block copolymers showed good complexation ability and steric stability [HEMA: 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate; PEG: poly(ethylene glycol)]. PEG, but not HEMA block, enhanced the effectiveness of polyDMAEMA–MCQ binding with the ON.     

Copper(I) hexafluoroantimonate - an example of a compound with Cu in a solely fluorine environment

Yellow-orange single crystals of CuSbF₆, were prepared by reacting Cu wire (∼10 mmol) with SbF₅ (∼3 mmol) in liquid anhydrous hydrogen fluoride (aHF) and by reduction of Cu(SbF₆)₂ with Cu metal in aHF. CuSbF₆ crystallizes rhombohedral at 296 K with the LiSbF₆ structure type, with a = 530.4(4) pm, c = 1453(1) pm and Z = 3, space group R (no. 148). The structure is dominated by isolated layers of regular [SbF₆]⁻ octahedra and Cu⁺ cations.An attempt to prepare CuF by reaction between CuSbF₆ and CsF in aHF at ∼190 K failed. Instead of CuF, a mixture of Cu and CuF₂ was obtained.     

Nanostructure evolution studies of bulk polymer materials with synchrotron radiation: progress in method development

The prospects of a modern analysis of nanostructure evolution during the processing of polymer materials by means of scattering from synchrotron radiation are demonstrated in examples. The beam sources have gained stability, shortages are located in beamline setups and in method development for the quantitative analysis of voluminous data sets.By using the proposed multidimensional chord distribution function (CDF) analysis method, nanostructure information from small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data are extracted and visualised. The method can be automated if the beamline setup is able to deliver a full data set with simple constraints. In this case even a simultaneous data evaluation is possible (while one pattern is accumulated, the previous one is analysed). The advantages of the method are demonstrated in a study of the straining of a thermoplastic elastomer. The possibilities of an automated analysis are demonstrated in an investigation of the crystallisation behaviour of high-pressure injection-moulded polyethylene (HPIM-PE). The achievable results of nanostructure analysis of polymer materials are discussed. It is shown that the time-resolved SAXS of polymer materials studied during a transformation and analysed by the CDF method is not just a powerful tool to investigate the relationship between structure and properties of materials; the information that can be gained concerning the processes that control nanostructure evolution is equally important. In the future the enlightenment of such relationships may help to tailor polymer materials with respect to their properties and, beyond that, to improve assessments concerning their aging.     

Development and validation of an analytical method for detection of estrogens in water

An analytical procedure enabling routine analysis of four environmental estrogens at concentrations below 1 ng L^–1 in estuarine water samples has been developed and validated. The method includes extraction of water samples using solid-phase extraction discs and detection by gas chromatography (GC) with tandem mass spectrometry (MS–MS) in electron-impact (EI) mode. The targeted estrogens included 17- and 17-estradiol (aE2, bE2), estrone (E1), and 17-ethinylestradiol (EE2), all known environmental endocrine disruptors. Method performance characteristics, for example trueness, recovery, calibration, precision, accuracy, limit of quantification (LOQ), and the stability of the compounds are presented for each of the selected estrogens. Application of the procedure to water samples from the Scheldt estuary (Belgium – The Netherlands), a polluted estuary with reported incidences of environmental endocrine disruption, revealed that E1 was detected most frequently at concentrations up to 7 ng L^–1. aE2 was detected once only and concentrations of bE2 and EE2 were below the LOQ.Presented at the 9th FECS Conference on Chemistry and the Environment, Bordeaux, France, 29 August–1 September 2004     

Thermostability of landscape phage probes

Immunoassays have traditionally relied on antibodies as diagnostic probes. Their use outside of a laboratory, however, may be problematic because antibodies are often unstable in severe environmental conditions. Environmental monitoring requires thermostable probes, such as landscape phage, that carry thousands of foreign peptides on their surfaces, are superior to antibodies, and can operate in non-controlled conditions. While parent wild-type phage are known to be extremely stable in various media at high temperatures, no work has been done to demonstrate the stability of landscape phage probes. We examined the thermostability of a landscape phage probe and a monoclonal antibody specific for -galactosidase in parallel in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) format. They were both stable for greater than six months at room temperature, but at higher temperatures the antibody degraded more rapidly than the phage probe. Phage retained detectable binding ability for more than six weeks at 63 °C, and three days at 76 °C. The activation energy of phage degradation was determined to be 1.34×10⁵ J/mol. These results confirm that phage probes are highly thermostable and can function even after exposure to high temperatures during shipping, storage and operation.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic separation of gangliosides, combined with immunological detection and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometric characterization

A complete strategy for the isolation of individual mono- and disialogangliosides has been elaborated. We have used straight-phase silica gel chromatography or partitioning to obtain a crude ganglioside fraction. This fraction was then peracetylated and run through a second silica gel column. After anion-exchange chromatography the gangliosides were separated by straight-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with chloroform-methanol-water mixtures as eluting solvents. The method is suitable for preparative isolation of gangliosides and subsequent structural characterization by thin-layer chromatography-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry and/or gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, which is demonstrated by several examples, including the separation of GalNAc-II3NeuAc-GgOse4Cer from GalNAc-isoII3NeuAc-GgOse4Cer.     

Convenient and High-Yielding Preparations of Mono(5-carboxy-2-ethylpentyl) Phthalate and its Ring-Deuterated Isomer – The “Third” Major Metabolite of Bis(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate

Summary. The synthesis of an oxidative major metabolite of bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate is described. The target molecule and its ring-deuterated isomer were obtained via acylation of the appropriate -hydroxy benzyl ester or the corresponding carboxylate with phthalic anhydride or phthalic anhydride-d₄. All transformation steps proceed with high yields.