Development of two fully automated quick,easy, cheap,effective, rugged,and safe pretreatment methods for the extraction of psychotropic drugs from whole blood samples

Quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe extraction strategies are becoming increasingly adopted in various analytical fields to determine drugs in biological specimens. In the present study, we developed two fully automated quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe extraction methods based on acetonitrile salting-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction (method 1) and acetonitrile salting-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction followed by dispersive solid-phase extraction (method 2) using a commercially available automated liquid-liquid extraction system. We applied these methods to the extraction of 14 psychotropic drugs (11 benzodiazepines and carbamazepine, quetiapine, and zolpidem) from whole blood samples. Both methods prior to liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry analysis exhibited high linearity of calibration curves (correlation coefficients, > 0.9997), ppt level detection sensitivities, and satisfactory precisions (< 8.6% relative standard deviation), accuracies (within ± 16% relative error), and matrix effects (81–111%). Method 1 provided higher recovery rates (80–91%) than method 2 (72–86%), whereas method 2 provided higher detection sensitivities (limits of detection, 0.003–0.094 ng/mL) than method 1 (0.025–0.47 ng/mL) owing to the effectiveness of its dispersive solid-phase extraction cleanup step. These fully automated extraction methods realize reliable, labor-saving, user-friendly, and hygienic extraction of target analytes from whole blood samples.     

Synthesis of single‐phase ZnAl2O4 nanoparticles via a wet chemical approach and evaluation of crystal structure characteristics

Single‐phase ZnAl₂O₄ nanoparticles were hydrothermally synthesized utilizing improvements to the preparation of the precursor materials. This synthesis differs from more general syntheses of ZnAl₂O₄ nanoparticles in that it minimizes the presence of ZnO impurities. The higher purity of our ZnAl₂O₄ nanoparticles allowed for more comprehensive X‐ray diffraction analysis as well as more sensitive spectroscopic evaluation. Moreover, pH control of the precursor solution dramatically improved the reproducibility of the synthesis. The lattice constant of the ZnAl₂O₄ samples synthesized by our technique is different from what is observed in particles fabricated using more common solid state reactions. This difference in lattice constants indicates the occurrence of a site exchange phenomenon between Zn²⁺ and Al³⁺ and/or oxygen deficiency. This suggests the possibility of tailoring novel functional spinel oxides for a wide array of future applications.     

Photo-promoted Skeletal Rearrangement of Phosphine–Borane Frustrated Lewis Pairs Involving Cleavage of Unstrained C−C σ-Bonds

An unprecedented photo-promoted skeletal rearrangement reaction of phosphine–borane frustrated Lewis pairs, o-(borylaryl)phosphines, involving cleavage of an unstrained sp²C–sp³C σ-bond is reported. The reaction realizes an efficient synthesis of cyclic phosphonium borate compounds. The reaction mechanism via a boranorcaradiene intermediate is proposed based on theoretical calculations. This work sheds light on the new photoreactivity of phosphine–borane FLPs.     

New lattice Boltzmann model for the compressible Navier-Stokes equations

We have developed a fundamentally new type of simple lattice Boltzmann (LB) model for the compressible Navier-Stokes equations based on the kinetic system proposed by Sone. The model uses the kinetic equation of free-molecular type in the streaming process and modifies the distribution function to its Chapman-Enskog type at each time step. Compared with the current LB models, the proposed model is superior in the following two points: (i) there are no inherent errors associated with the Knudsen number; (ii) any flow parameters, including three transport coefficients, can be chosen freely according to our convenience. Numerical tests and error estimates confirm the above statements.     

Distinguishing nanomaterial particles from background airborne particulate matter for quantitative exposure assessment

As the production of engineered nanomaterials quantitatively expands, the chance that workers involved in the manufacturing process will be exposed to nanoparticles also increases. A risk management system is needed for workplaces in the nanomaterial industry based on the precautionary principle. One of the problems in the risk management system is difficulty of exposure assessment. In this article, examples of exposure assessment in nanomaterial industries are reviewed with a focus on distinguishing engineered nanomaterial particles from background nanoparticles in workplace atmosphere. An approach by JNIOSH (Japan National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) to quantitatively measure exposure to carbonaceous nanomaterials is also introduced. In addition to real-time measurements and qualitative analysis by electron microscopy, quantitative chemical analysis is necessary for quantitatively assessing exposure to nanomaterials. Chemical analysis is suitable for quantitative exposure measurement especially at facilities with high levels of background NPs.     

Straightforward Synthesis of 1,2‐Dicyanoalkanes from Nitroalkenes and Silyl Cyanide Mediated by Tetrabutylammonium Fluoride

A straightforward synthesis of 1,2‐dicyanoalkanes by reacting nitroalkenes with trimethylsilyl cyanide in the presence of tetrabutylammonium fluoride is described. The reaction proceeds through a tandem double Michael addition under mild conditions. Employing the hypervalent silicate generated from trimethylsilyl cyanide and tetrabutylammonium fluoride is essential for achieving this transformation. Mechanistic studies suggest that a small amount of water included in the reaction media plays a key role. This protocol is applicable to various types of substrates including electron‐rich and electron‐deficient aromatic nitroalkenes, and aliphatic nitroalkenes. Moreover, vinyl sulfones were found to be good alternatives, particularly for electron‐deficient nitroalkenes. The broad substrate scope and functional group tolerance of the reaction makes this approach a practical method for the synthesis of valuable 1,2‐dicyanoalkanes.