Determination of ammonium in river water and sewage samples by capillary zone electrophoresis with direct UV detection

We developed capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with direct UV detection for determination of ammonium in environmental water samples. Ammonium in the samples was partly converted into ammonia in the alkaline background electrolyte (BGE) during migration and was detected by molecular absorption of ammonia at 190 nm in approximately 7 min. The limit of detection (LOD) for ammonium was 0.24 mg/l (as nitrogen) at a signal-to-noise ratio of three. The respective values of the relative standard deviation (RSD) of peak area, peak height, and migration time for ammonium were 2.1, 1.8, and 0.46%. Major alkali and alkaline earth metal ions coexisting in the samples did not interfere with ammonium determination by the proposed method. The proposed method determined ammonium in surface water and sewage samples. The results were compared to those obtained using ion chromatography (IC).     

Local crystal structure of nano-manganese-oxide gold adsorbent

The local crystal structure of dried and deuterated nano-manganese-oxide powder samples was studied via atomic pair distribution function analysis of X-ray and neutron powder diffraction data. The protonated sample shows ultrahigh efficiency as a gold adsorbent even from ppt-level aqueous solutions such as seawater. We show that the nano-manganese-oxide particles have an R-MnO₂-type local crystal structure. The possible role of the protons on the surface of the nano-particles is discussed.     

Lembehsterols A and B,novel sulfated sterols inhibiting thymidine phosphorylase,from the marine sponge Petrosia strongylata

Lembehsterols A (1) and B (2), two novel sulfated sterols, were isolated from the marine sponge Petrosia strongylata. Both sterols showed inhibitory activity against thymidine phosphorylase, which is an enzyme related to angiogenesis in solid tumors. The structures of these sulfated sterols were established on the basis of chemical and physicochemical evidence.     

A highly enantioselective route to either enantiomer of both alpha- and beta-amino acid derivatives

This report describes the unprecedented use of unmodified aldehydes as donors in a catalytic asymmetric Mannich-type reaction. The proline-catalyzed reaction of N-PMP-protected alpha-imino ethyl glyoxylate with unmodified aliphatic aldehydes provided a general and very mild entry to either enantiomer of beta-amino and alpha-amino acids and derivatives in high yield and stereoselectivity. Six of the seven aldehydes studied yielded products with ee values of 99% or greater. The diastereoselectivity of the reaction increased with the bulkiness of the substituents of the aldehyde donor in the order R = Me < Et < i-Pr < n-Pent. In five of the cases studied, excellent syn stereoselectivities were achieved. In addition, the corresponding chiral beta-amino aldehyde adducts can be readily converted to the corresponding amino acid derivatives. Most significantly, this approach provides facile access to substituted beta-lactams.     

Influence of bubble clustering on multibubble sonoluminescence

Influence of clustering of cavitation bubbles on multibubble sonoluminescence (MBSL) in standing wave fields is studied through measurement of MBSL intensity with a photomultiplier tube and observation of corresponding bubble behavior with a high-speed video camera and an intensified charge-coupled device one. It is clarified that, when the SL is quenched suddenly at excessive ultrasonic power, the behavior of bubbles clearly changes; the bubbles which form dendritic branches of filaments change into clusters due to the secondary Bjerknes force. The cluster is composed of several bubbles surrounded by many tiny bubbles, in which bubbles repeatedly coalesce and fragment, and run away from pressure antinodes. When the clusters are broken up by forced fluid motion, the quenching of MBSL is suppressed.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">In Situ</Emphasis> Synthesis of Field-responsive Nanocrystalline BaTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> Particles Modified with Functional Organics

Nanocrystalline BaTiO₃ particles modified with polarizable ligands were synthesized through hydrolysis of modified metal–organics below 100°C. BaTiO₃ precursor was synthesized from barium metal, titanium isopropoxide and polarizable ligands in a mixture of ethanol and 2-ethoxyethanol. The modified Ba–Ti complex alkoxide was hydrolyzed yielding BaTiO₃ particles modified with organics. The crystallinty of nanometer-sized particles was dependent upon the hydrolysis conditions, and increased with increasing water amount and time. The nanocrystalline particles were identified to be BaTiO₃ by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron diffraction. A fluid consisting of modified BaTiO₃ particles and silicone oil revealed a typical electrorheological (ER) behavior on applying DC field. The ER behavior was found to depend upon the kind of ligand. 4-Fluorobenzyloxy modifier revealed the highest yield stress in the ER measurement among 4-substitued benzyloxy ligands examined.     

Animation of fiber fuse damage, demonstrating periodic void formation

A series of optical micrographs showing the front region of fiber fuse damage were obtained to reveal the periodic void formation process. They were collected from a number of samples and were sorted in order of increasing distance between the top of the first large void and the top of the first regular void. The micrographs clearly show that the first large void sheds its tail, which shrinks to form a regular void. This mechanism leads to the formation of bullet-shaped regular voids as the result of the balance between the internal pressure of the optical discharge and the increasing viscosity of the surrounding glass that occurs during pinching off.     

Eigenvalue asymptotics for the Schrödinger operators on the hyperbolic plane

In this paper we consider the Schrödinger operator on the hyperbolic plane , where is the hyperbolic Laplacian and V is a scalar potential on . It is proven that, under an appropriate condition on V at ‘infinity’, the number of eigenvalues of H_V less than λ is asymptotically equal to the canonical volume of the quasi-classically allowed region as λ→∞. Our proof is based on the probabilistic methods and the standard Tauberian argument as in the proof of Theorem 10.5 in Simon (Functional Integration and Quantum Physics, Academic Press, New York, 1979).