B2O3 reinforced polylactic acid/thermoplastic polyethylene glycol shape memory composites

Recently, there has been a great demand for boron-containing compounds (BCCs) with unique biological properties. The demand for the use of these compounds not alone but as additives in composite materials is increasing day by day. In this study, the effect of adding B₂O₃ compound to the blend of PLA and PEG polymers, which is an important biocompatible shape memory polymer, was investigated. In order to examine the effect of increasing B₂O₃ additive on the thermal properties of PLA-PEG blend, it was determined by using a Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), and it was seen that while the melting temperature of PEG decreased, the melting temperature of PLA increased. In addition, when the thermal stability of the composites was examined, increasing of thermal stability was observed with the addition of B₂O₃ and a three-step degradation occurred. It was determined that the B₂O₃/PLA-PEG composite was homogeneous by taking X-ray measurements and SEM measurements. The antimicrobial property of the PLA-PEG blend improved with the increasing B₂O₃ contribution were observed from the antimicrobial activity measurements of the composite against 4 different bacteria. However, it was determined that the PLA-PEG blend preserved its shape memory effect with increasing diboron trioxide contribution.     

Separation/preconcentration of trace heavy metals in urine, sediment and dialysis concentrates by coprecipitation with samarium hydroxide for atomic absorption spectrometry

Multi-element determination of trace elements in urine and dialysis solutions by atomic absorption spectrometry has been investigated. Coprecipitation with samarium hydroxide was used for preconcentration of trace elements and elimination of matrix elements. To 10 ml of each sample was added 500 μl of 2 mg ml⁻¹ samarium solutions; the pH was then adjusted to 12.2 in order to collect trace heavy metals on samarium hydroxide. The precipitate was separated by centrifugation and dissolved in 1 ml of 1 mol l⁻¹ HNO₃. Coprecipitation parameters and matrix effects are discussed. The precision, based on replicate analysis, is around 5% for the analytes, and recovery is quantitative, based on analysis of spiked samples and solutions including matrix components. The time required for the coprecipitation and determination was about 30 min.     

Capillary electrophoretic separation of heparin oligosaccharides under conditions amenable to mass spectrometric detection

A capillary electrophoresis method for the separation of high-molecular-mass heparin oligosaccharides compatible with mass spectral detection was developed. Structurally defined heparin oligosaccharides ranging in size from tetrasaccharide to tetradecasaccharide were used to optimize the conditions. Applying normal and reversed polarity modes, these oligosaccharides were separated by CE under various conditions. Ammonium hydrogencarbonate (30 mM at pH 8.50) used as the running electrolyte system gave good separation efficiency and resolution in the normal polarity mode. Application of this method to the separation of complicated heparin oligosaccharide mixtures required the addition of electrolyte additives. Ammonium hydrogencarbonate (30 mM), containing triethylamine (10 mM), was useful for the separation of complex oligosaccharide mixtures. Run-to-run and day-to-day precision and limits of detection were established for these separations.     

Chromium(III, VI) speciation analysis with preconcentration on a maleic acid-functionalized XAD sorbent

Chromium may exist in environmental waters as Cr(III) and Cr(IV), the latter being the toxic and carcinogenic form. Since atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry can only yield information on total Cr concentration, a polymer resin bearing O,O-donor chelating groups such as the maleic acid-functionalized XAD(CO)CHCHCOOH resin was synthesized to selectively retain Cr(III) at pH 4.0-5.5. The dynamic breakthrough capacity of the resin for Cr(III) at pH 5.0 was 7.52 mg g⁻¹, and the preconcentration factor extended to 250-300. Chromium(III) in the presence of 250-fold Cr(VI)—which was not retained—could be effectively preconcentrated on the NH₄⁺-form of the resin and determined by AAS or diphenylcarbazide (DPC) spectrophotometry. When Cr(VI) was reduced to Cr(III) with Na₂SO₃ solution brought to pH 1 by the addition of 1 M H₂SO₄, and preconcentrated on the resin, total Cr could be determined. The developed method was validated with a blended coal sample CRM-1632. Since the adsorption behavior as a function of pH of possible interferent metal ions, e.g. Ni(II), Co(II), Cu(II), Cd(II), Zn(II), Pb(II) and Fe(III), was similar to that of Cr(III), selective elution of Cr(III) from the resin was realized using a mixture of 1 wt.% H₂O₂+1 M NH₃. The eluate containing Cr as chromate could be directly analyzed by diphenyl carbazide spectrophotometry without any adverse effect from the common interferents of this method, i.e. Fe(III), Cu(II) Hg(II), VO₃⁻, MoO₄²⁻ and WO₄²⁻. Various synthetic waste solutions typical of electroplating bath effluents containing Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn, Na, Ca, cyanide (and chemical oxidation demand (COD), achieved by glucose addition) were subjected to pretreatment procedures such as hypochlorite oxidation (of cyanide) and catalytic oxidation (of COD) with peroxodisulfate. Chromium determination gave satisfactory results. The combined column preconcentration—selective elution—diphenylcarbazide spectrophotometric determination was also successfully applied to the determination of Cr in artificial and real seawater.     

Electroanalytical Behaviour of a Nanoarray Self-Assembled Thiocholesterol Gold Electrode

Thiocholesterol forms a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) on polycrystalline gold, offering a defect-rich hydrophobic surface. This SAM gold electrode has been exploited in batch and flow injection analysis (FIA) as it allows selective detection of hydrophobic analytes such as phenothiazines in presence of potentially interfering species such as ascorbic acid. Several phenothiazines have been investigated. Quantification has been achieved in FIA, in a broad linear concentration range: 0.5–100?μM. The stability of the modified electrode allows more than 500 sample injections in FIA.     

Determination of pK a Values of Cefdinir and Cefixime by LC and Spectrophotometric Methods and Their Analysis in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms

The pK _a values of cefdinir and cefixime, which are used in the treatment of bacterial infections, have been determined precisely in water and methanol?Cwater binary mixtures (20% v/v) using spectrophotometric titration and LC, respectively. A simple, fast and precise isocratic high-performance liquid chromatographic (LC) procedure has been developed for the determination of cefdinir and cefixime in drug formulations. This method was validated successfully for specificity, precision, linearity, range, accuracy, limit of detection, and limit of quantitation as per the ICH guidelines. The proposed method can be used for routine analysis of studied cephalosporin compounds and as an alternative tool for drug quality control laboratories.     

Spectrophotometric determination of various polyanions with polymeric film optodes using microtiter plate reader

Polycation-sensitive membrane optodes based on the chromoionophore 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein octadecylester (DCFOE) have previously been developed and used for determination of heparin via a titrimetric method. In this study, it is shown that some other important polyanions such as PPS (pentosan polysulfate), DNA, xanthan, Na-alginate, and carrageenan (food additive) can also be readily determined by using DCFOE-based microtiter plate-format optodes (MPOs) and polycationic titrants that bind these polyanionic species. The optical sensors are prepared with poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), polyurethane (PU), bis(2-ethylhexyl)sebacate (DOS), and 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein octadecylester (DCFOE) and exhibit reproducible and sensitive absorbance changes in response to the varying polycationic titrant concentrations. Three different polycations; protamine, poly-l-lysine and poly-l-arginine, are employed as titrants. The method has a detection limit of 1 μg mL⁻¹, and a dynamic range of 1–40 μg mL⁻¹. After the quantitative determinations are successfully demonstrated in buffered solutions, similar titrations are also performed in real samples. The method is validated by recovery studies in these samples. The average polyanion recoveries were quantitative [99.7(±1.3) % for pastry cream with vanillin (protamine titrant); 100.4 (±3.3) % for pastry gel with strawberry(PLA titrant), and 102.9(±2.0) % for pastry gel with strawberry (PLL titrant)].     

The Synthesis,Characterization, and Electrochemical Investigation of Novel Thio- and Alkoxy-Substituted Benzoquinone Derivatives

Abstract

Novel thio- and alkoxy-substituted benzoquinone derivatives were synthesized from the reactions of p-chloranil (1) and related nucleophiles in a sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃) solution of acetonitrile or in chloroform with Et₃N. The structures of novel compounds were characterized by using microanalysis, FTIR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, MS, CV, and fluorescence spectroscopy.

[Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Phosphorus, Sulfur, and Silicon and the Related Elements for the following free supplemental files: Additional text and figures.]