Cellular adhesion and proliferation on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): Benefits in the electroactivity of the conducting polymer

Cell adhesion and proliferation in poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), an electroactive polythiophene derivative generated by anodic polymerization, has been investigated. Results show that epithelial cells Hep-2 present significant activity on the surface of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) electrodeposited on stainless steel electrodes, no sign of cytotoxicity being detected for this conducting polymer. Indeed, seeded and cultured cells bound better to poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) than to uncoated stainless steel, the latter substrate being used as a control. Furthermore, the electrochemical characteristics of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) covered with cells was determined in different biological media using cyclic voltammetry experiments. Results reveal a significant increase in the electroactivity of this material when it is covered with a cellular monolayer. The overall of the results evidences not only the biocompatibility of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) with Hep-2 cells but also their electrocompatibility.     

The “Facilitated Transition” hypothesis as an explanation for the gemdialkyl effect

A new technique of searching the conformational space of transition states was used to explore the cause of the rate acceleration in the gem-dialkyl effect in intramolecular cyclization reactions. Several previous hypotheses were discarded and a new hypothesis was advanced based on this new data. This hypothesis, the “Facilitated Transition” hypothesis, states that increased steric hindrance reduces the overall activation energy by facilitating rotation through the transition state. The older “Reactive Rotamer” hypothesis was eliminated by generating all conformations of the starting materials using the and computer programs and demonstrating that no relationship is found between rate increase and a change in the concentration of “reactive rotamers”.     

Spectral-luminescent analysis of sugar cane juice

A spectral-luminescent analysis has been made of the low-, medium-, and high-molecular mass fractions of sugar cane juice. The presence of pigments was detected in all the fractions. The medium-molecular-mass fraction was distinguished by the most considerable and most diverse composition of the pigments, a substantial contribution to which was made by the products of the alkaline decomposition of sugars. The amounts of pigments in all the fractions of the juice depended on the age of the plant. A pronounced dependence on the age of the plant was characteristic for the medium-molecular-mass fraction.B. I. Stepanov Institute of Physics, Belorussian Academy of Sciences, Minsk. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 3, pp. 456–459, May–June, 1993.     

Determination of moisture on thorium dioxide by a coulometric electrolytic measurement with electronic integration

The coulometric electrolytic principle is utilized for the measurement of moisture sorbed on sintered thorium dioxide. Moisture is removed from the sample by heating and is swept by dry argon gas through a hygrometer. The resulting hygrometer output is converted into frequency pulses and counted cumulatively. The instrument is calibrated by use of standard hydrated chemicals. The number of counts/mu;g of water obtained from standards compares favourably with the theoretical number of counts/mu;g calculated from performance specifications of the components employed. The error is <5% for 1-350mu;g of water. A high sensitivity and low operating blank recommends application of this method to materials other than thorium dioxide, having very low moisture contents.     

1,2-oxazine chemistry—II : The crystal and molecular structure of N-(p-carboxybenzyl)-tetrahydro-1,2-oxazine

The crystal structure of the title compound has been determined from X-ray diffractometer data by direct methods, and refined by full matrix least squares techniques to R = 0·057 for 1231 reflections. The crystals are monoclinic, space group C2/C, cell dimensions a = 1665, b = 987, c = 1443 pm, β = 107·37° and Z = 8. The conformation of the tetrahydro-1,2-oxazine ring is a chair with the N-substituent equatorial. There is evidence of significantly greater torsional angles around the N and O atoms than around the ring C atoms, showing the ring to be more puckered than cyclohexane. The hydrogen bond is between the acid group on one molecule and the ring nitrogen on its neighbour.     

The effect of metal oxides on the oxidation of polybutadiene

Carboxy-terminated polybutadiene (CTPB) was oxidised as a coating on various metal oxides by heating in air on a thermobalance. The oxidation was found to be free from diffusion control and was catalysed by certain of the oxides. The catalysis was shown to be independent of semiconductor type and to be associated with those oxides for which the width of the forbidden zone between the valence and conduction bands (U) is less than 1.9 eV. In general, low values of U result in high catalytic activity. It is proposed that catalysis occurs by a redox mechanism, viz. RO₂H + p → RO₂^. + H⁺, RO₂H + e → RO^. + OH^?.     

Über den Dissoziationszustand von geschmolzenem Natriumdiwolframat (Na2W2O7)

Kordes and Nolte are of the opinion that, on melting, Na₂W₂O₇ dissociates according to the reaction whereas Gelsing et al. assume a dissociation into Na⁺ ions and a mixture of chains of WO₄ tetrahedra (WO, W₂O, W₃O, etc.). In the present paper it is demonstrated that a dissociation according to the ideas of Gelsing et al. can excellently explain the cryometric results found by Kordes and Nolte themselves. The dissociation scheme proposed by Gelsing et al., is even more likely than that proposed by Kordes and Nolte when the results of surface tension measurements reported by Gossink and Stevels are taken into account.     

Mikrobestimmung von Kohlenstoff und Wasserstoff, sowie von 14C, Tritium und Deuterium im Stickstoffstrom

Zusammenfassung Eine mikroanalytische Kohlenstoff-Wasserstoffbestimmung wird beschrieben, bei der die organische Substanz im Stickstoffstrom verbrannt und deren Crackprodukte mit Sauerstoff oxydiert werden. Halogene und Schwefel werden vom Verbrennungskatalysator (nach Körbl) absorbiert, während eventuell entstandene Stickoxide an einer Kupferschicht zur Reduktion gelangen. Die entstandenen Verbrennungsprodukte CO₂ und H₂O können gravimetrisch erfaßt oder bei radioaktiven Proben durch entsprechende Absorptionsmöglichkeiten in einem Flüssigkeits-Szintillationszähler zur Zählung gebracht werden.Stark quenchende einfache, sowie doppelt markierte Proben, die man auch durch Modifikationen des Zählgeräts nicht mehr genau auszählen kann, können mit gleich hoher Zählausbeute wie nichtquenchende erfaßt werden (75% für ¹⁴C und 30% für ³H), da keine störenden Fremdgase die Zählung beeinflussen.Deuterium wird durch Ausmessen der OD-Bande bei 2500 cm^–1 mit einem Infrarot-Spektrometer quantitativ bestimmt.

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Microanalytical determination of carbon and hydrogen, ¹⁴C, tritium and deuterium in a stream of nitrogen

A microanalytical method for the determination of carbon and hydrogen is described. The procedure involves the combustion of the organic substance in a stream of nitrogen and the oxidation of the decomposition products with oxygen. Halogens and sulphur are absorbed by the combustion catalyst (according to Körbl), whereas nitrogen oxides are reduced on a copper surface. The combustion products, CO₂ and H₂O are determined gravimetrically; in the case of radioactive samples they are appropriately absorbed and counted in a liquid scintillation counter. Strongly quenching singly and doubly labelled samples, which cannot be accurately counted even by modification of the counting device, give equally high radioactive yields (75% for ¹⁴C, 30% for ³H), since counting is not influenced by other gaseous impurities. Deuterium is quantitatively determined by measuring the intensity of the OD-signal at 2500 cm^–1 with an infrared spectrometer.

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Herrn Prof. Dr. H. Schmid bin ich für das wohlwollende Verständnis meinen Arbeiten gegenüber zu bestem Dank verpflichtet. Sämtliche Glas- und Quarzgeräte wurden in der Glasbläserei unserer Institute von Herrn B. Thueler angefertigt, wofür ich auch ihm an dieser Stelle danken möchte.     

Autoxydationsprodukte des Guaiazulens

Zusammenfassung Guaiazulen wird bei Luftzutritt durch Autoxydation verändert. Die dabei auftretenden Produkte wurden chromatographisch aufgetrennt und die drei als Hauptmenge auftretenden Verbindungen charakterisiert: 3.3-Diguaiazulenyl, 1.4-Dimethyl-3-(3-guaiazulenyl)-6-isopropyl-5H-inden-5-on, 1.4-Dimethyl-3-(3-guaiazulenyl)-5-oxo-6-isopropyl-5H-inden-7-aldehyd.

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Autoxidation products of guaiazulene

Guaiazulene exposed to air undergoes autoxidation. The products were separated by chromatography, and the three major products characterized: 3.3-diguaiazulenyl, 1.4-dimethyl-3-(3-guaiazulenyl)-6-isopropyl-5H-inden-5-one, and 1.4-Dimethyl-3-(3-guaiazulenyl)-5-oxo-6-isopropyl-5H-inden-7-aldehyd.

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Herrn Prof. Dr.H. Nowotny gewidmet.     

Neutronenaktivierungsanalytische Bestimmung von Osmium in Geologischen Proben

A neutron activation analysis procedure was developed for the determination of osmium in geological materials. The method consists in the measurement of the 129.4 keV γ-rays of¹⁹¹Os after radiochemical separation of osmium. The sample decomposition, the chemical separation process and the optimal measuring conditions are described and discussed.