Mass spectrometric separation and quantitation of overlapping isotopologues. H2O/HOD/D2O and H2Se/HDSe/D2Se mixtures

Three conceptually different mathematical methods are presented for accurate mass spectrometric determination of H2O/HOD/D2O and H2Se/HDSe/D2Se concentrations from mixtures. These are alternating least-squares, weighted two-band target entropy minimization, and a statistical mass balance model. The otherwise nonmeasurable mass spectra of partially deuterated isotopologues (HOD and HDSe) are mathematically constructed. Any recorded isotopologue mixture mass spectra are then deconvoluted by least-squares into their components. This approach is used to study the H2O/D2O exchange reaction, and is externally validated gravimetrically. The H2O/D2O exchange equilibrium constant is also measured from the deconvoluted 70 eV electron impact GC/MS data (K = 3.85 +/- 0.03).     

Determination of the saturation vapor pressure of silicon by Knudsen cell mass spectrometry

Silicon evaporation has been investigated by high-temperature mass spectrometry, and the saturation vapor pressure of silicon over its melt has been determined over the temperature range from 1739 and 2326 K. The saturation vapor pressure data obtained via silicon evaporation from Knudsen cells made of molybdenum, tungsten, molybdenum disilicide-lined molybdenum, and graphite silicided by the gas-phase method are compared. Among these materials, silicided graphite is the most inert toward silicon vapor. The silicon partial pressures measured in the silicided graphite cell are close to the recommended values.     

Functionalized gold nanoparticles for ultrasensitive DNA detection

A major challenge in the area of DNA detection is the development of rapid methods that do not require polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the genetic sample. The PCR amplification step increases the cost of the assay, the complexity of the detection, and the quantity of DNA required for the assay. In this context, methods that are able to perform DNA analyses with ultrasensitivity have recently been investigated with the aim of developing new PCR-free detection protocols. Functionalized gold nanoparticles have played a central role in the development of such methods. Here, possibilities offered by functionalized gold nanoparticle in the ultrasensitive detection of DNA are discussed. The different functionalization protocols available for gold nanoparticles and the principal DNA detection methods that are able to detect DNA at the femtomolar to attomolar level are presented.     

Reactions of <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-aryl(methyl,trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl-1,4-benzoquinone monoimines with sodium sulfinates

In reactions with sodium sulfinates of N-substituted 1,4-benzoquinone monoimines with the quinoid ring having free positions 2 and/or 6 the fraction of products of 1,4-addition of the sulfinate ion grows in the series ArSO₂ → MeSO₂ → CF₃SO₂. In the case of 2,6-dimethyl derivatives the 1,6-addition is preferable, and the amount of products of 6,1-addition decreases.     

Synthesis of dibromo ketones by the reaction of the environmentally benign H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>2</Subscript>-HBr system with oximes

It was found that oximes undergo deoximation in the presence of the H₂O_2aq-HBr_aq system to form ketones and bromo ketones. This reaction provided the basis for the synthesis of dibromo ketones in yields varying from 40% to 94%. This method is environmentally friendly, sustainable, and easy to perform. The results of this investigation extend the potential of the use of oximes for the protection of carbonyl group, thus offering the ability to perform not only conventional deoximation but also the subsequent bromination of ketones. The reaction is easily scaled up and dibromo ketones can be prepared in gram amounts.      

Synthesis of annelated derivatives of tetrafluoro-10<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>-imidazo[1,2-<Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis>][1,2]benzooxazin-10-one and 2-pentafluorophenylpyrazine 1,4-dioxide by condensation of alicyclic 2-hydroxyamino oximes with pentafluorophenylglyoxal

Reactions of alicyclic 2-hydroxyamino oximes with pentafluorophenylglyoxal afford mixtures of annelated derivatives of 2-pentafluorophenylpyrazine 1,4-dioxide and tetrafluoro- 10H-imidazo[1,2-b][1,2]benzooxazin-10-one. The structures of the latter were established by X-ray diffraction analysis.Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 8, pp. 1636–1639, August, 2004.     

Solvent effects on the rate of thermolysis of lauroyl peroxide

Thermolysis of lauroyl peroxide in various organic solvents was studied. It was shown that the primary homolytic dissociation of the peroxide group is accompanied by secondary reactions of chain-induced decomposition. The reaction medium affects the rate of both the primary homolytic dissociation and secondary induced decomposition processes. Correlation equations between the rate constants of the reactions in study and the physicochemical parameters of the solvents were proposed.     

Extraction products from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Miscanthus</Emphasis> var. ‘Soranovskii’

The chemical structures of Miscanthus var. ‘Soranovskii’ lignin fractions released via extraction of lignin from the lignocellulosic feedstock using moderately heated acetone under atmospheric pressure, without acidic and alkaline catalysts, were studied. A blend of Miscanthus stems and leaves was pretreated with water under thermobaric conditions. The acetone organosolv process subsequently afforded a substance related to a lignin-like matter-acetone organosolv Miscanthus lignin (AOML). Non-destructive analytical techniques such as FTIR spectroscopy, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, size-exclusion chromatography, and 2D NMR were used. The IR and NMR spectroscopies revealed the AOML structure to comprise all the three major types of phenylpropane units: guaiacyl (G), syringyl (S), and p-hydroxyphenyl (H). The resultant acetone-organosolv lignin exhibits good solubility in polar solvents, moderate solubility in aromatic chemicals, and is insoluble in non-polar solvents, exhibiting the physicochemical properties of a thermoplastic polymer with a softening point of 67.0°C (onset 33.0°C, endset 81.5°C).     

XRD and EXAFS study of nitrato ammine complexes of nitrosyl ruthenium

The structure of trans-[RuNO(NH₃)₄(H₂O)](NO₃)₃ (I) and trans-[RuNO(NH₃)₄(NO₃)](NO₃)₂ (II) was determined by XRD. Crystallographic data are as follows: space group I4₁/a; a = b = 18.280(1) Å, c = 15.129(1) Å, R = 0.0244 (I), and space group Cm, a = 11.5620(3) Å, b = 7.9934(2) Å, c = 7.7864(2) Å, β = 127.124(1)°, R = 0.0139 (II). Interatomic distances for complex particles of fac- and mer- [RuNO(NH₃)₂(NO₃)₃] (III and IV, respectively) were determined by EXAFS.     

A joint theoretical and experimental investigation on the 13C and 1H NMR chemical shifts of coumarin derivatives

¹H and ¹³C NMR chemical shifts of coumarin derivatives have been determined using first principles approaches with and without accounting for the effects of the solvent and compared to experiment in order to assess their reliability. Good linear relationships are obtained between theory and experiment, which allows correcting the calculated values for systematic errors. This is particularly the case when using the PCM scheme to model the solvent effects because the δ values larger than 150 ppm are more difficult to reproduce. The final accuracy of the method amounts to about 1 ppm for ¹³C and 0.05 ppm for ¹H.