Mass spectrometric analysis of ceramic components for solid oxide fuel cells

For the determination of trace impurities in ceramic components of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), some mass spectrometric methods have been applied such as spark source mass spectrometry (SSMS), laser ionization mass spectrometry (LIMS), laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Due to a lack of suitable standard reference materials for quantifying of analytical results on La _x Sr _y MnO₃ cathode material a matrix-matched synthetic standard-high purity initial compounds doped with trace elements-was prepared in order to determine the relative sensitivity coefficients in SSMS and LA-ICP-MS. Radiofrequency glow discharge mass spectrometry (rf-GDMS) was developed for trace analysis and depth profiling of thick non-conducting layers. Surface analytical techniques, such as secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and sputtered neutral mass spectrometry (SNMS), were used to determine the element distribution on surfaces (homogeneity) and the surface contaminants of SOFC ceramic layers.Dedicated to Professor Dr. rer. nat. Hubertus Nickel on the occasion of his 65th birthday     

Reactivity sequences of dipolarophiles towards diazocarbonyl compounds - MO perturbation treatment

Whereas diazomethane cycloadditions are only accelerated by electron-attracting substituents in the olefinic or acetylenic dipolarophile, the cycloadditions of diazoacetic, diazomalonic and diazo(phenylsulfonyl)acetic ester show in accordance with the PMO treatment U-shaped activity functions when log k₂ is plotted versus the lowest IP of the dipolarophiles.     

Photochemistry of 2,2-Dimethyl-2H-Furo[3,4-b]Pyran-4,7(3H, 5H)-Dione

Irradiation (λ > 340 nm) of the title compound 2a in t-BuOH affords 3,3,10,10-tetramethyl-2,8-dioxatricyclo-[4.3.2.0^1,6]undecane-5,9-dione (3) via photoextrusion of 2-methylpropene and subsequent photocycloaddition of 2a to the alkene. The same regioisomer 3 is formed selectively and in much higher yields on irradiating 2a in the presence of excess 2-methylpropene. Irradiation of 3 (λ = 300 nm) in t-BuOH in the presence of the same alkene gives a 6:1 mixture of spirooxetanes 7a and 7b but not α-cleavage products. In 2-propanol, 2a is photoreduced to a 2:1 mixture of diastereoisomeric hydrodimers 9 .     

Catalytic transesterification of dialkyl phosphates by a bioinspired dicopper(II) macrocyclic complex

For a number of phosphoryltransfer enzymes, including the exonuclease subunit of DNA polymerase I, a mechanism involving two-metal ions and double Lewis-acid activation of the substrate, combined with leaving group stabilization, has been proposed. Inspired by the active site structure of this enzyme, we have designed as a synthetic phosphoryl transfer catalyst the dicopper(II) macrocyclic complex LCu(2). Crystal structures of complexes [(L)Cu(2)(mu-NO(3))(NO(3))](NO(3))(2) (1), [(L)Cu(2)(mu-CO(3))(CH(3)OH)](BF(4))(2) (2), and [(L)Cu(2)(mu-O(2)P(OCH(3))(2))(NO(3))](NO(3))(2) (3) illustrate various possibilities for the interaction of oxoanions with the dicopper(II) site. 1 efficiently promotes the transesterification of dimethyl phosphate (DMP) in CD(3)OD, k(cat) = 2 x 10(-)(4) s(-)(1) at 55 degrees C. 1 is the only available catalyst for the smooth transesterification of highly inert simple dialkyl phosphates. From photometric titrations and the pH dependence of reactivity, we conclude that a complex [(L)Cu(2)(DMP)(OCH(3))](2+) is the reactive species. Steric bulk at the -OR substituents of phosphodiester substrates O(2)P(OR)(2)(-) drastically reduces the reactivity of 1. This is explained with -OR leaving group stabilization by Cu coordination, an interaction which is sensitive to steric crowding at the alpha-C-atom of substituent R. A proposed reaction mechanism related to that of the exonuclease unit of DNA polymerase I is supported by DFT calculations on reaction intermediates. The complex [(L)Cu(3)(mu(3)-OH)(mu-CH(3)O)(2)(CH(3)CN)(2)](ClO(4))(3) (4) incorporates a [Cu(OH)(OCH(3))(2)(CH(3)CN)(2)](-) complex anion, which might be considered as an analogue of the [PO(2)(OCH(3))(2)(OCD(3))](2)(-) transition state (or intermediate) of DMP transesterification catalyzed by LCu(2).     

Modification of silicon AFM cantilever tips with an oligo(ethylene glycol) derivative for resisting proteins and maintaining a small tip size for high-resolution imaging

We demonstrate that silicon AFM tips can be modified by etching with 2% HF solution followed by reaction with an alpha,omega-oligo(ethylene glycol)alkene. Tips properly modified by this technique maintain a small tip size and effectively reduce the nonspecific interaction with fibrinogen and bovine serum albumin, resulting in greatly improved image resolution and contrast for high-coverage fibrinogen films.     

The Reactivity of Cr‐Te Superlattice Reactants and of Co‐deposited Cr‐Te Films: Studies with in‐situ X‐ray Diffractometry

The reactivity of a Cr‐Te multilayer film consisting of 326 Cr/Te double‐layers with about 88(3) at% Te was investigated with in‐situ X‐ray diffraction. The occurrence of a superstructure reflection caused by the multilayer system is observed. During the annealing procedure between 80 and 90 °C the layer‐by‐layer arrangement is destroyed and elemental Te crystallizes. After 6 h isothermal annealing at 140 °C CrTe₃ starts to crystallize. The amount and the crystal size of CrTe₃ increase with raising temperature and Te is consumed during the growth process. At 220 °C the formation of crystalline Cr₂Te₃ is observed and between 220 and 260 °C CrTe₃ is completely decomposed into Cr₂Te₃. The two Cr tellurides grow as highly textured materials. The size of CrTe₃ crystals is significantly larger than that of Cr₂Te₃. For a co‐deposited Cr‐Te film with composition 77(3) at% Te the tri‐telluride and elemental Te crystallize simultaneously. The texture of CrTe₃ is less pronounced and different reflections of the tri‐telluride occur besides the (h00)‐reflections. Up to 160 °C a pronounced increase of the crystallite size is observed and the crystals are significantly larger than those obtained with the multifilm sample. At 130 °C the crystallization kinetics seem to be controlled by nucleation.     

Femtosecond Spectroscopic Studies on the Red Light-Absorbing Form of Oat Phytochrome and 2,3-Dihydrobiliverdin

Abstract— The excited state behavior of the red light-absorbing form of phytochrome (Pr) was studied on the femtosecond time scale. After excitation of Pr with 75 fs laser pulses at 616 nm the kinetics of the transient absorption changes was recorded at selected wavelengths probing mainly the bleaching of the Pr ground-state absorption and the stimulated emission. The kinetic data obtained indicate the population of an excited state with a 3 ps lifetime immediately after excitation. This state precedes the formation of another excited state with a 32 ps lifetime. The decay of the latter state is followed by the appearance of a first product state that is assumed to represent lunii-R. In addition, 2,3-dihydrobiliverdin, which is considered to be an adequate model of the Pr chro-mophore, was included in the femtosecond studies. The absorption difference spectra recorded at various delay times show an immediate bleaching of the ground-state absorption. Simultaneously with bleaching a broad transient absorption appears between 410 and 525 nm. The data analysis yields similar kinetic components as they were observed in the decay of Pr. It is suggested from this finding that within the first tens of picoseconds after excitation the excited-state properties of Pr are mainly determined by the properties of the chromophore itself.     

An efficient synthetic route to glycoamino acid building blocks for glycopeptide synthesis

[reaction: see text] Chemical glycopeptide synthesis requires access to gram quantities of glycosylated amino acid building blocks. Hence, the efficiency of synthesis of such building blocks is of great importance. Here, we report a fast and highly efficient synthetic route to Fmoc-protected asparaginyl glycosides from unprotected sugars in three steps with high yields. The glycosylated amino acids were successfully incorporated into target glycopeptides 7 and 8 by standard Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis.     

Multiplexed hybridizations of positively charge-tagged peptide nucleic acids detected by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Peptide nucleic acid (PNA) is a novel class of DNA analogues in which the entire sugar-phosphate backbone is replaced by a pseudopeptide counterpart. Owing to its neutral character and the consequent lack of electrostatic repulsion, PNA exhibits very stable heteroduplex formation with complementary nucleic acid that is essentially ionic strength independent and enables hybridization under minimum salt conditions. This feature as well as its superior ion stability and easy ionization compared to DNA renders PNA very attractive for hybridization-based matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS) applications. We have developed an approach to DNA characterization that takes advantage of multiplexed PNA hybridizations analyzed by MALDI-TOFMS. Our motivation was the further development of oligonucleotide fingerprinting, an efficient technique for cDNA and genomic DNA library characterization. Through positive 'charge-tagging' of PNA the efficiency of detection in MALDI-TOFMS was considerably enhanced permitting an unparalleled degree of multiplexing. Results from the simultaneous hybridization of 21 charge-tagged PNA hexamer oligonucleotides showed that genomic DNA and cDNA clones are successfully characterized on the basis of their hybridization profiles. The degree of multiplexing achieved may render a significant increase in throughput and hence efficiency of oligonucleotide fingerprinting possible.