Synthesis and Characterization of Polypyrrole Nanoparticles and Their Nanocomposites with Poly(propylene)

Summary: Conducting polypyrrole (PPy) nanoparticles were synthesized via microemulsion polymerization. PP/PPy nanocomposites were prepared by melt-mixing of polypyrrole with polypropylene (PP) and processed with injection molding. Tensile tests have revealed that increasing amount of PPy increased the strength and the stiffness of the nanocomposite while limiting the elongation of PP. Thermal gravimetric analysis has showed that incorporation of PPy nanoparticles has improved the thermal stability of the nanocomposites. Increasing amount of PPy nanoparticles increases the conductivity of nonconductive PP up to 2,4.10⁻⁴ Scm⁻¹. The same techniques were used to characterize nanocomposites containing 2% w dispersant. Composites prepared with dispersant have involved smaller dimension PPy nanoparticles and exhibited improvement in some mechanical and thermal properties.     

Potential of radioiodinated anticancer compounds of traditional Chinese medicine for cancer therapy

23-Hydroxybetulinic acid (23-HBA) is the efficient antitumor compound extracted from the roots of a Chinese Medicinal Herb, Pulsatilla chinensis (Bge) Regel. To evaluate the effect of radioiodination on cytotoxicity, 23-HBA was radioiodinated with ¹²⁵I. ¹²⁵I-23-HBA could be prepared in high yields and good radiochemical purity and was characterized using reverse phase HPLC. In ICR mice bearing Liver Cancer HepA tumor, ¹²⁵I-23-HBA showed a tumor uptake of 2.1% ID/g at 2 h p.i. and 0.15% ID/g at 48 h p.i on i.v. injection. When injected intratumorally, greater tumor uptake and retention was observed (20% ID/g at 2 h p.i. and 4.6% ID/g at 48 h p.i. respectively).     

A biosensor based on urate oxidase-peroxidase coupled enzyme system for uric acid determination in urine

A new amperometric biosensor based on urate oxidase-peroxidase coupled enzyme system for the specific and selective determination of uric acid in urine was developed. Commercially available urate oxidase and peroxidase were immobilized with gelatin by using glutaraldehyde and fixed on a pretreated teflon membrane. The method is based on generation of H₂O₂ from urine uric acid by urate oxidase and its consuming by peroxidase and then measurement of the decreasing of dissolved oxygen concentration by the biosensor. The biosensor response depends linearly on uric acid concentration between 0.1 and 0.5 μM. In the optimization studies of the biosensor, phosphate buffer (pH 7.5; 50 mM) and 35 °C were obtained as the optimum working conditions. In addition, the most suitable enzyme activities were found as 64.9×10⁻³ U cm⁻² for urate oxidase and 512.7 U cm⁻² for peroxidase. And also some characteristic studies of the biosensor such as reproducibility, substrate specificity and storage stability were carried out.     

Kinetic Spectrophotometric Determination of Famotidine in Pharmaceutical Preparations

A kinetic method for the accurate and sensitive determination of famotidine has been described. The method is based on the alkaline oxidation of famotidine with potassium permanganate at a fixed time of 10 min. The formed manganate ion is measured at 610 nm. The concentration of famotidine is calculated using the calibration equation for the fixed time method. Beer's law was obeyed in the range of 1–10 μg/mL and the R.S.D. (n = 10) was 0.47%. The method has been applied successfully to commercial tablet dosage form.     

Mathematical algorithms applied to the multi-linear regression functions for the multicomponent determination of pharmaceutical dosage form containing three-component mixtures

In the presence of closely overlapping spectra, the quantitative multiresolution of ternary mixtures of three active compounds paracetamol (PAR), caffeine (CAF) and acetylsalycilic acid (ASP) in tablets, without using pretreatment such as separation step and graphical procedure of spectra was accomplished by the multivariate spectral calibration models, tri-linear regression calibration (TLRC), multi-linear regression calibration (MLRC) and Cramer's rule solution (CRS) of three linear equation functions in the matrix form. In the first two models, TLRC and MLRC are based on the use of the linear regression functions at selected wavelength sets in the spectral region of 210-300 nm. In the case of CRS model, A1(1) (1%, 1 cm) were used to obtain three linear equation functions and this linear equation system was resolved by the Cramer's rule for the prediction of PAR, CAF and ASP in samples. In the TLRC and CRS models, the selection of the appropriate wavelength set was performed by the Kaiser's technique. The algorithms of these mathematical calibration models were briefly described. The validation of TLRC, MLRC and CRS models was carried out by analyzing various synthetic ternary mixtures and by using the standard addition technique. These three calibration approaches were applied to the analysis of the real pharmaceutical tablets containing PAR, CAF and ASP. The obtained results were statistically compared with each other by using experimental and statistical tests. In the comparison of TLRC and MLRC models to the classical approach, CRS technique, the successful assay results were observed for the quantitative multiresolution of ternary mixture of the subject active compounds.     

Über eine mikroanalytische Schnellbestimmung von Acetyl- und C-Methylgruppen

Zusammenfassung Es wird eine Schnellmethode zur quantitativen Bestimmung der bei der Verseifung von Acetylverbindungen bzw. bei der Oxydation C-methylierter Substanzen gebildeten Essigsäure beschrieben. Unter Verwendung eines modifizierten Mikro-Kjeldahl-Apparates nach.Parnas-Wagner kann die Essigsäure quantitativ innerhalb von 10 Minuten mit Wasserdampf aus der verseiften bzw. oxydierten Probelösung abdestilliert werden. Sie wird dann im Destillat mit 0,01-n Natronlauge titriert. Die Abweichung der so erhaltenen Analysenwerte von den theoretisch berechneten beträgt maximal ±1%.

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Summary A rapid method is described for the quantitative determination of the acetic acid formed by the saponification of acetyl compounds or in the oxidation of C-methylated substances. By using theParnas-Wagner modification of the microKjeldahl apparatus, the acetic acid can be quantitatively distilled off within 10 minutes with steam from the saponified or oxidized test solution. It is then titrated in the distillate with 0.1 N sodium hydroxide. The deviation of the results obtained from the theoretically calculated figures is ±1% at the maximum.

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Résumé On décrit une méthode rapide pour le dosage de l'acide acétique formé par saponification des composés acétylés ou par oxydation des substances C-méthylées. Par emploi d'un appareil de micro-Kjeldahl modifié d'aprèsParnas et Wagner, l'acide acétique peut être éliminé quantitativement par distillation à l'aide de la vapeur d'eau en moins de 10 minutes à partir de la solution saponifiée ou oxydée. On titre alors l'acide dans le distillat avec de la lessive de soude 0,01 N; les écarts entre les valeurs calculées et mesurées se montent au maximum à ±1%.

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Herrn Univ.-Prof. Dr.Adolf Franke zum 80. Geburtstag gewidmet!     

Methane activation and oxidation in sulfuric acid

The H/D exchange observed when methane is contacted with D(2)SO(4) at 270-330 degrees C shows that the alkane behaves as a sigma base and undergoes rapid and reversible protonation at this temperature. DFT studies of the hydrogen exchange between a monomer and a dimer of sulfuric acid and methane show that the transition states involved in the exchange are bifunctional, that is one hydrogen atom is transferred from a hydroxy group in sulfuric acid to methane, while one hydrogen atom is abstracted from methane by a non-hydroxy oxygen atom in sulfuric acid. All the transition states include a CH(5) moiety, which shows similarities to the methanium ion CH(5) (+). The calculated potential activation energy of the hydrogen exchange for the monomer is 174 kJ mol(-1), which is close to the experimental value (176 kJ mol(-1)). Solvation of the monomer and the transition state of the monomer with an extra sulfuric acid molecule, decrease the potential activation energy by 6 kJ mol(-1). The acid-base process is in competition, however, with an oxidative process involving methane and sulfuric acid which leads to CO(2), SO(2), and water, and thus to a decrease of acidity and loss of reactivity of the medium.     

Diterpenoids from Salvia ceratophylla

Salvia ceratophylla L. has yielded four known and two new diterpenoids together with two triterpenic acids, a steroid and a flavone. The structures of the compounds were established by spectroscopic analyses. One of the known compounds candidissiol exhibited a high antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus epidermidis and Proteus mirabilis.     

Spectrophotometric multicomponent determination of sunset yellow, tartrazine and allura red in soft drink powder by double divisor-ratio spectra derivative, inverse least-squares and principal component regression methods

Double divisor-ratio spectra derivative (graphical method), classical least-squares and principal component regression (two numerical methods) methods were developed for the spectrophotometric multicomponent analysis of soft drink powders and synthetic mixtures containing three colorants without any chemical separation. The graphical method is based on the use of derivative signals of the ratio spectra using double divisor. In this method, the linear determination ranges were 2-8 mug ml(-1) sunset yellow, 4-18 mug ml(-1) tartrazine and 2-8 mug ml(-1) allura red in 0.1 M HCl. In the numerical methods, a training set was randomly prepared by using 18 samples containing between 0 and 8 mug ml(-1) of sunset yellow, 0-18 mug ml(-1) of tartrazine and 0-8 mug ml(-1) of allura red. The chemometric calibrations were calculated by using the prepared training set and its absorbances at seven points (from 375.0 to 550.0 nm) in the spectral region 325-584 nm. The proposed methods were validated by using synthetic ternary mixtures and applied to the simultaneous determination of three colorants in soft drink powders. The obtained results were statistically compared with each other.