Synthesis and properties of [1,6′]biazulenyl compounds

The synthesis of a new biazulenyl system, which contains azulene moieties coupled in 1- and 6-position is reported. The structure of the isolated compounds, as well as the calculated dihedral angle between the planes of the coupled moieties, has been correlated with the recorded spectra.     

Theoretical and vibrational spectral investigation of sodium salt of acenocoumarol

The FT‐IR and FT‐Raman spectra of sodium salt of 4‐hydroxy‐3[1‐(4‐nitrophenyl)‐3‐oxobutyl]‐2H‐1‐benzopyran‐2‐one (acenocoumarol sodium salt) in solid phase have been recorded and analyzed. The optimization geometry, intramolecular hydrogen bonding, and harmonic vibrational wavenumbers of acenocoumarol sodium salt have been investigated with the help of B3LYP density functional theory (DFT) methods. The infrared and Raman spectra were predicted theoretically from the calculated intensities. Natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis indicates the presence of C H···O hydrogen bonding in the molecule. The first static hyperpolarizability of the molecule has been computed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Process‐Scale Total Synthesis of Nature‐Identical (−)‐(S,S)‐7‐Hydroxycalamenal in High Enantiomeric Purity through Catalytic Enantioselective Hydrogenation

A process‐scale stereoselective synthesis of nature‐identical (−)‐(S,S)‐7‐hydroxycalamenal (=(−)‐(5S,8S)‐5,6,7,8‐tetrahydro‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐8‐(1‐methylethyl)naphthalene‐2‐carbaldehyde; (−)‐ 1a ) in 96% enantiomeric excess (ee) with the aid of chiral Ru complexes has been developed. The key step was the enantioselective hydrogenation of easily accessible 2‐(4‐methoxyphenyl)‐3‐methylbut‐2‐enoic acid ( 10 ) to (+)‐ 11 in a 86% ee (Scheme 5 and Table 1). A substantial increase in optical purity (96% ee) was achieved by induced crystallization of the intermediate (+)‐3,4‐dihydro‐4‐(1‐methylethyl)‐7‐methoxy‐2H‐naphthalen‐1‐one ((+)‐ 3 ). Computational conformation analysis carried out on the analog (−)‐ 9 rationalized the high diastereoselectivity achieved in the catalytic hydrogenation of the CC bond.     

Synthesis of Poly(acrylic acid) Nanogels and Application in Loading and Release of an Oligothiophene Fluorophore and Its Bovine Serum Albumin Conjugate

Summary: Nanometer-sized poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) hydrogels were synthesized by emulsion polymerization of methyl acrylate and subsequent acid hydrolysis, and their pH-dependent swelling behaviour was studied by dynamic light scattering. To determine the suitability of PAA nanogels as pH-sensitive carriers for biomedical applications, loading and release of an oligothiophene fluorophore and its albumin conjugate onto the PAA nanogels were investigated as a function of pH by absorption and photoluminescence measurements. It was observed that loading and release processes of both the oligothiophene and its conjugate could be controlled by changing pH of their solutions.     

pH‐Responsive Hybrid Organic–Inorganic Ruthenium Nanoparticles for Controlled Release of Doxorubicin

The current study aims at preparing biocompatible hybrid organic–inorganic ruthenium core–shell nanostructures (RuNPs) coated with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and polyoxyethylene stearate (POES). Thereafter, the core/shell RuNPs are loaded with doxorubicin (to form RuPDox) with a loading efficiency > 60%. RuPDox possesses exceptional stability and pH‐responsive release kinetics with approx. 50% release of doxorubicin at up to 1 h exposure to an acidic endosomal environment. The cytotoxic effects of RuPDox are tested in vitro against breast cancer (MDA‐MB‐231), ovarian cancer (A2780), and neuroblastoma (UKF‐NB‐4) cells. Notably, although RuNPs have slight cytotoxicity only, RuPDox causes a synergistic enhancement of cytotoxicity when compared to free doxorubicin. Significant increase in free radicals formation, enhanced activity of executioner caspases 3/7, and higher expression of p53 and metallothionein is further identified due to the RuPDox treatment. Single‐cell gel electrophoresis reveals no additional contribution of RuNPs to genotoxicity of doxorubicin. Moreover, RuPDox promotes significantly increased stability of doxorubicin in human plasma and pronounced hemocompatibility assayed on human red blood cells. The results imply a high potential of biocompatible hybrid RuNPs with PVP‐POES shell as versatile nanoplatforms to enhance the efficiency of cancer treatment.     

Studies on molten bath and aluminium contamination with ceramic anodes corrosion products

Two types of tin oxide ceramic anodes with 3 different bulk densities are prepared and tested in a laboratory aluminium reduction cell. During normal electrolysis, the regular chemical dissolution process of anode material should be controlled by mass–transport and subsequent reduction of the corrosion products into the cathode metal. The content of Sn species from each experimental anode in the electrolyte reaches stable values and does not contribute to the time dependent corrosion. Their concentration in metal becomes linear with time, providing that the concentration in the electrolyte remains constant. The mass transport anode dissolution mechanism is experimentally confirmed and it becomes evident that the dissolution rate is largely dependent by the conditions at the cathode, which has a hundred times lower rate factor. The smallest aluminium contamination (under 0.2 wt %) and corrosion rate (under 1 cm/year) were obtained by testing the tin oxide anode, with Recipe 2 (2) – 96% SnO₂+2%Sb₂O₃+2%CuO by our own sintering procedure and with bulk densities bigger than 6.5 g⋅cm⁻³ prepared. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Searching for biomarkers of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease using proteomics: The current state

Detection of proteins which may be potential biomarkers of disorders represents a big step forward in understanding the molecular mechanisms that underlie pathological processes. In this context proteomics plays the important role of opening a path for the identification of molecular signatures that can potentially assist in early diagnosis of several clinical disturbances. Aim of this report is to provide an overview of the wide variety of proteomic strategies that have been applied to the investigation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a severe disorder that causes an irreversible damage to the lungs and for which there is no cure yet. The results in this area published over the past decade show that proteomics indeed has the ability of monitoring alterations in expression profiles of proteins from fluids/tissues of patients affected by COPD and healthy controls. However, these data also suggest that proteomics, while being an attractive tool for the identification of novel pathological mediators of COPD, remains a technique mainly generated and developed in research laboratories. Great efforts dedicated to the validation of these biological signatures will result in the proof of their clinical utility.     

Nanocomposite phase change materials based on NaCl–CaCl2 and mesoporous silica

The synthesis of phase change materials based on NaCl–CaCl₂ molten salt mixture and mesoporous silica was investigated. The influence of mesoporous silica porosity and salt concentration on the thermal energy storage properties of the resulting materials is discussed. The nanocomposite samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetry, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The mesoporous silica was found to act as a reactive matrix for the molten salts. Composite samples with up 95% wt. salt can be obtained and used as shape-stabilized phase change materials. The materials have heat of fusion values of up to 60.8 J g^?1 and specific heat capacity between 1.0 and 1.1 J g^?1 K^?1. The samples exhibit thermal stability up to 700 °C and can be used for high-temperature thermal energy storage through both latent and sensible heat storage mechanisms.

     

Speciation analysis of chromium in water samples using nanometer zirconium dioxide and direct ultrasonic slurry sampling with electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

A new analytical procedure for the determination of chromium Cr(III) and Cr(VI) species in different water samples was developed. The method involves solid-phase extraction (SPE), direct ultrasonic slurry sampling (DUSSS), and subsequent electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). The nanometer-sized zirconium dioxide (ZrO₂) was used as the sorbent material. The optimal conditions for the proposed solid phase extraction were: 50 mg ZrO₂, 20 min extraction time, pH 2.5 for Cr(VI) and pH 8.0 for Cr(III) and for the ETAAS measurement: 1500°C pyrolysis and 2300°C atomisation temperatures, 1.5 g L^?1 Mg(NO₃)₂ as matrix modifier. The samples were sonicated directly in the autosampler cup, using an ultrasonic probe at 20% power setting for 10 seconds prior to injection into the graphite tube with ?vov platform. In this way, all drawbacks due to the elution procedure were eliminated. The limit of detection and limit of quantification for Cr(III) obtained under optimised conditions were 0.48 μg L^?1, and 1.61 μg L^?1, respectively, and for Cr(VI) 0.27 μg L^?1 and 0.90 μg L^?1. The pre-concentration factors attained for both the species were 25. The effects of alkaline, alkaline earth and some metal ions and some anions were also examined. The relative standard deviation estimated from six replicate measurements at a concentration of 0.4 μg L^?1 for both Cr(III) and Cr(VI) with a pre-concentration factor of 25 was 2.96% and 4.06%, respectively. The accuracy of the method was confirmed by analysis of the standard reference material SRM 1643e “Trace Elements in Water?. The proposed technique is simple, sensitive, environmentally friendly, and the risk of contamination is low. Hence, it was successfully applied to spiked synthetic and real water samples with recoveries ranging from 91.3% to 109.2%     

Study of the Human Body Vibrations for the Seated Vehicle Driver

The paper presents some aspects about the dynamic response of the human body subjected to the vertical vibration in the travel inside the auto vehicle. There is a model presented in the specialized literature. This is transformed for the given study because was necessary to realize the vertical vibration along the human body. There are two different studies: using a linear lumped parameter systems seat - human body model; using a nonlinear lumped parameter systems seat-human body model. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)