Development and prevalidation of a method for phenol determination by solid-phase spectrophotometry

A simple, sensitive and rapid solid-phase spectrophotometric procedure was developed for the determination of traces of phenol with 4-aminoantipyrine as a reagent (AAP-SPS), and the optimal experimental conditions were established. This method was performed by sorption and direct absorbance measurements of the product phenol-AAP sorbed on the anion-exchanger Dowex 1-X4 (0.2 g) at 495 nm (absorption maximum) and 700 nm (non-absorption wavelength). The sensitivity offered by the AAP-SPS procedure was higher by a factor of 40 compared with the respective conventional spectrophotometric method. Metrological characteristics were established using a prevalidation strategy. The AAP-SPS procedure is characterized by a linear calibration function in the working range of 0.05–0.50 μmol, low standard deviation of procedure (±0.012), low limit of determination (0.021 μmol), and favorable random (±0.85 to ±11.27%) and systematic deviations (−4.55 to +11.50%). Moreover, the accuracy of the system investigated by the recovery test is acceptable (99–102%). Favorable working and performance characteristics make the new SPS method ideal for phenol monitoring in pharmaceutical preparations as well as other matrices.     

In Situ Processing of Nano Crystalline Oxide Particles/Polymer Hybrid

Nano sized crystalline particles/polymer hybrids were synthesized form designed metal-organic precursors. The newly developed method is composed of the synthesis of organic matrix by polymerization and the in situ nucleation and growth of crystalline oxide particles in the organic matrix below 100°C. The design of metal-organic precursor modified with polymerizable ligand and the selection of reaction conditions does influence the size and crystallinity of ceramic particles in organic matrix. The nano-sized magnetic particle/polymer hybrid exhibits the interesting feature of superparamagnetism and quantum size effect. The crystalline particles of BaTiO₃/, PbTiO₃/, and KNbO₃/polymer hybrids behave to be dielectric and show the typical electro-rheological behavior.     

Response Characteristics of a Glucose Electrode with a Sensing Membrane Prepared by Plasma Polymerization

A glucose electrode was composed of a dissolved oxygen electrode and an immobilized glucose oxidase membrane prepared by plasma polymerization of propargyl alcohol as a monomer. Fairly good precision of the electrode response to sample solutions was obtained by measurements using the steady-state method or the reaction rate method. Activity of the glucose oxidase immobilized within the membrane and mounted on the electrode lasted for 50 consecutive measurements over 5 days, and, if the membrane was stored in a buffer solution of pH 7.0 at a temperature of 0°C, the activity was preserved for more than 2 months. Such immobilization of the glucose oxidase with the plasma polymer effectively suppressed interference from Cu²⁺ions, which would seriously interrupt oxidation of the glucose in homogeneous solutions, in the sample solutions.     

Ion-exchanger colorimetry-VII Microdetermination of iron(II) and iron(III) in natural water

A trace method for iron, based on ion-exchanger colorimetry, has been developed. 1,10-Phenanthroline is used as the colour reagent for iron(II) and citrate as the masking reagent for iron(III). Total iron can be determined after reduction of iron(III) to iron(II) with hydroxylamine. It is possible to determine iron at mug/l.-levels in different oxidation states in natural waters.     

Synthesis of the proposed structure of plakevulin A: revised structure of plakevulin A

A total synthesis of the proposed structure of plakevulin A was accomplished. However, the NMR spectral data of the synthetic plakevulin A were not identical of those of the reported compound. We next converted the synthetic plakevulin A into 1-dihydrountenone A. The ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectral data of 1-dihydrountenone A were identical with those of reported plakevulin A except for the peaks derived from levulinic acid. Thus, we repurified sample of the natural product and confirmed that the natural sample contained 1-dihydrountenone A and levulinic acid in the ratio of one to one. We also found that not plakevulin A but 1-dihydountenone A possessed the inhibitory activity against mammalian DNA polymerases α and β.     

Diastereoselective synthesis of the 19-epi-C18-C25 segment of (−)-lasonolide A and an unusual inversion at C19

Diastereoselective construction of the 19-epi-C₁₈-C₂₅ segment of (−)-lasonolide A was achieved using a 5-exo-trigonal mode of radical cyclization for the creation of the contiguous quaternary and tertiary stereogenic centers at C₂₂ and C₂₃ as the key reaction step. During the dehydration stage, it was found that an unusual inversion of configuration took place.     

A novel glycosylation concept; microwave-assisted acetal-exchange type glycosylations from methyl glycosides as donors

Efficient microwave-assisted glycosylations from methyl glucopyranosides are described. We have discussed the effects of microwave irradiation on this unique glycoside exchanging reaction from view points such as amount of Lewis acid promoters and acceptors, hydroxyl protecting groups of methyl glucopyranosides donors for reactivity, and neighboring effect.     

A large thermal hysteresis loop produced by a charge-transfer phase transition in a rubidium manganese hexacyanoferrate

In a rubidium manganese hexacyanoferrate, RbMn[Fe(CN)(6)], the magnetic susceptibility (chi(M)) decreased at 225 K (=T(1/2)decreasing) and abruptly increased at 300 K (=T(1/2)increasing) in the cooling and warming processes, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy indicated that the high-temperature (HT) and low-temperature (LT) phases were composed of Mn(II)-NC-Fe(III) and Mn(III)-NC-Fe(II), respectively. A structural change from cubic (F43m, a = 10.533 A) to tetragonal (I4m2, a = b = 7.090 A, c = 10.520 A) accompanied the phase transition, and, on the basis of these results, the HT and LT phases were assigned to Mn(II)(t(2g)(3)e(g)(2), (6)A(1g); S = (5)/(2))-NC-Fe(III) (t(2g)(5), (2)T(2g); S = (1)/(2)) and Mn(III)(e(g)(2)b(2g)(1)a(1g)(1), (5)B(1g); S = 2)-NC-Fe(II) (b(2g)(2)e(g)(4), (1)A(1g); S = 0), respectively. This phenomenon is caused by a metal-to-metal charge transfer from Mn(II) to Fe(III) and a Jahn-Teller distortion of the produced Mn(III) ion. The reaction mechanism is discussed, considering the entropy difference between the HT and LT phases.     

Ion-exchanger colorimetry-VIII Microdetermination of copper in natural waters

A microdetermination method for copper by ion-exchanger colorimetry has been developed. The porphyrin alpha,beta,gamma,gd-tetrakis(4-N-methylpyridyl)porphine was used as the colour reagent. After the complexation at pH 4.5 and 40 degrees , the surplus ligand was converted into the protonated species by addition of sulphuric acid. The complex and the ligand were easily sorbed on the cation-exchange resin, Dowex 50W-X2-H(+) (100-200 mesh). The resin-phase absorbances of the complex species at 424 nm and of the resin background at 510 nm were used for the measurements. There were no interferences by the foreign ions expected to be present in natural waters, at up to 1000 times the concentration of copper. With a 1 -litre sample the detection limit is 0.072 mug/l. It is possible to determine copper at mug/l. or lower levels in natural waters.     

Solvothermal synthesis of large surface area zirconia

The reaction of zirconium n-propoxide in glycol at 300°C yielded microcrystalline tetragonal zirconia (ZrO₂). The crystallite size of the product depended on the carbon number of the glycol and increased in the following order (carbon number of glycol): 2<6<4, which suggested that the heterolytic cleavage of O-C bond of gylcoxide formed by transesterification is the prime factor for the formation of the product. In toluene, zirconium isopropoxide also gave tetragonal zirconia at 300°C, and zirconium tert-butoxide decomposed at 200°C yielding amorphous zirconia, while zirconium n-propoxide was stable at 300°C. These results suggest that the reaction in toluene depends on the structure of the alkyl group of the alkoxides. Thus-obtained tetragonal zirconias maintained large surface areas (90–160 m²/g) even after calcination at 500°C.