Critical Aspects in the Determination of the Antifouling Compound Dichlofluanid and its Metabolite DMSA (N,N-dimethyl-N'-phenylsulfamide) in Seawater and Marine Sediments

A straightforward method based on GC-MS was developed to determine the booster biocide dichlofluanid and its metabolite DMSA in sediment and water. Special attention was paid to conservation of samples, conversion of dichlofluanid to DMSA during analysis and the effect dichlofluanid-containing paint particles might have on the analysis results. The analytical method is suitable for the quantitative determination of dichlofluanid and its metabolite DMSA in seawater down to a level of 10 ng L^-1. Dichlofluanid could not be detected in marine sediment as it was immediately degraded to DMSA. However, dichlofluanid could be determined as DMSA. The analytical method is suitable for the determination of DMSA in marine sediment down to 5 μg kg^-1 (wet weight).     

Lower Rim Substituted tert-Butyl calix[4]arenes (I). The Structure and Complexing Properties in Ion-Selective PVC Membrane Electrodes

Some di- and tetraamide tert-butylcalix[4]areneswere synthesized and described. Their ionophoric properties were studied in liquid membrane ion-selective electrodes. The correlation between thechemical structure (conformation in solution determined by ¹H NMR) and potentiometric ion-selectivity and complex formation constant havebeen studied. The PVC membrane electrodes based on tetraamides 8–11 show high sodium selectivity, are stable and long lasting. Disubstituted amides 1–7 are selective for larger and more lipophilic ions, as for exampleguanidinium ion. The crystal structure of the diamide 4 was determined by single crystal X-ray analysis. Crystals of 4 are triclinic, spacegroup P-1, with: a = 16,669(8), b = 17.795(10), c = 20.984(8) Å, =91.08(4)°, = 91.60(3)°, = 90.73(4)° and Z = 4. Ionophore 4 posseses a distorted cone conformation and is substituted at the proximal phenol rings.     

Surface species in the direct amination of methanol over Brønsted acidic mordenite catalysts

Quantitative in situ infrared spectroscopy in combination with kinetic analysis is utilized to derive mechanistic aspects for the reaction of methanol with ammonia on Brønsted acidic mordenite. Under non-reactive conditions, a coadsorption complex between methanol and ammonia is found, in which only ammonia is in direct interaction with the Brønsted acid sites of the zeolite. This complex is proposed to be the precursor for the formation of protonated methylamines in the zeolite pores which are formed in sequential order up to tetramethylammonium ions. These methylamines are unable to desorb under reaction conditions in the absence of ammonia. They leave the surface either by ammonia adsorption assisted desorption or by scavenging of methyl groups from protonated methylamines by ammonia. Both steps are concluded to be potentially rate determining.     

Detection of Staphylococcus aureus cell walls by enzyme-linked immunoassay using antibodies prepared from a semi-synthetic peptidoglycan precursor

The peptidoglycan layer of Staphylococcus aureus contains a (Gly)(5) cross-link which is not found in other bacteria, and which could be used to develop a specific immunoassay for detection of S. aureus in MRSA infections. A semi-synthetic route was used to prepare the S. aureus peptidoglycan precursor UDPMurNAc-L-Ala-γ-D-Glu-L-Lys(Gly)(5)-D-Ala-D-Ala, which was covalently attached to carrier protein bovine serum albumin via the UDP nucleotide. Serum raised using this antigen showed specificity for chemically immobilised peptidoglycan monomer containing (Gly)(5), using an ELISA immunoassay. ELISA assays using 0.1 or 1.0 μg samples of cell walls prepared from two MRSA strains and one penicillin-sensitive S. aureus strain, and from three other bacteria, showed the highest response against cell walls containing (Gly)(5), with a particularly high response against cell walls from one MRSA strain. Competition assays to investigate antibody selectivity demonstrated that the antibody response could be most effectively antagonised using ligands containing (Gly)(5). These data demonstrate that it is possible to generate antibodies with high affinity and selectivity for the (Gly)(5) containing monomer in S. aureus peptidoglycan, that could be used to develop an immunoassay for S. aureus.