Adaption of a fragment analysis technique to an automated high-throughput multicapillary electrophoresis device for the precise qualitative and quantitative characterization of microbial communities

The analysis of microbial communities is of increasing importance in life sciences and bioengineering. Traditional techniques of investigations like culture or cloning methods suffer from many disadvantages. They are unable to give a complete qualitative and quantitative view of the total amount of microorganisms themselves, their interactions among each other and with their environment. Obviously, the determination of static or dynamic balances among microorganisms is of fast growing interest. The generation of species specific and fluorescently labeled 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) fragments by the terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) technique is a suitable tool to overcome the problems other methods have. For the separation of these fragments polyacrylamide gel sequencers are preferred as compared to capillary sequencers using linear polymers until now because of their higher electrophoretic resolution and therefore sizing accuracy. But modern capillary sequencers, especially multicapillary sequencers, offer an advanced grade of automation and an increased throughput necessary for the investigation of complex communities in long-time studies. Therefore, we adapted a T-RFLP technique to an automated high-throughput multicapillary electrophoresis device (ABI 3100 Genetic Analysis) with regard to a precise qualitative and quantitative characterization of microbial communities.     

Application of fast solvent extraction processes to studies of exotic nuclides

The nucleus²³Na has been investigated by studying the primary γ-rays emitted from 53 keV neutron capture in it using a high resolution and high efficiency (100%) HPGe detector and NaI(T1) detector for anti-Compton. 24 primary γ-rays were placed in the²⁴Na, in which 3 primary γ-rays were new ones from a (n, γ) reaction, and reported for the first time. In order to obtain an exact energy calibration within 7 MeV,⁵⁶Fe(n,γ)⁵⁷Fe reaction was used at thermal neutron energy. Intensity calibration was obtained from the²⁷Al(p,γ)²⁸Si reaction atE _p=2046 keV. The neutron binding energy of²⁴Na was determined to be 6959.75 keV.     

Propene polymerization using homogeneous MAO-activated metallocene catalysts: Me2Si(Benz[e]Indenyl)2ZrCl2/MAO vs. Me2Si(2-Me-Benz[e]Indenyl)2ZrCl2/MAO

Propene was polymerized at 40°C and 2-bar propene in toluene using methylalumoxane (MAO) activated rac-Me₂Si(Benz[e]Indenyl)₂ZrCl₂ ( BI ) and rac-Me₂Si(2-Me-Benz[e]Indenyl)₂ZrCl₂ ( MBI ). Catalyst BI /MAO polymerizes propene with high activity to afford low molecular weight polypropylene, whereas MBI /MAO is less active and produces high molecular weight polypropylene. Variation of reaction conditions such as propene concentration, temperature, concentration of catalyst components, and addition of hydrogen reveals that the lower molecular weight polypropylene produced with BI /MAO results from chain transfer to propene monomer following a 2,1-insertion. A large fraction of both metallocene catalyst systems is deactivated upon 2,1-insertion. Such dormant sites can be reactivated by H₂-addition, which affords active metallocene hydrides. This effect of H₂-addition is reflected by a decreasing content of head-to-head enchainment and the formation of polypropylene with n-butyl end groups. Both catalysts show a strong dependence of activity on propene concentration that indicates a formal reaction order of 1.7 with respect to propene. MBI /MAO shows a much higher dependence of the activity on temperature than BI /MAO. At elevated temperatures, MBI /MAO polymerizes propene faster than BI /MAO. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Torsionsabhängige Beiträge zur Spin-Bahn-Kopplung in organischen Molekülen

Zusammenfassung Die Spin-Bahn-Kopplung der niedrigen elektronischen Anregungszustände von organischen Molekülen wird untersucht. Es wird gezeigt, daß die Zerstörung der aromatischen Ebene durch Torsionen oder Schwingungen zu nicht-verschwindenden Zweizentrenbeiträgen führt. Am Beispiel des Triphenylmethyl-Kations wird mit Hilfe der LCAO MO SCF-Methode die Größenordnung der auftretenden Wechselwirkungen ermittelt. Diese haben wahrscheinlich großen Einfluß auf die strahlungslosen Prozesse in Molekülen mit leicht beweglichen Gruppen.

---

Spin-orbit coupling of the lower excited electronic states of organic molecules has been investigated. It is shown that any destruction of the aromatic plane through torsions or vibrations leads to non-vanishing contributions from two-centre integrals. The order of magnitude of this type of interactions is determined for the triphenylmethyl-cation with the aid of the LCAO MO SCF method. These interactions probably have much influence on radiationless transitions in molecules containing mobile groups.

---

Résumé Etude du couplage spin-orbite dans les états électroniques exités les plus bas des molécules organiques. Toute non planéité aromatique créée par torsions ou vibrations entraîne une contribution non nulle de la part des intégrales bicentriques. L'ordre de grandeur de ce type d'interaction est detérminé, à l'aide de la méthode L.C.A.O. M.O. SCF, pour le cation triphenylméthyle. Ces interactions ont probablement beaucoup d'influence sur les transitions non radiatives dans les molécules contenant des groupements mobiles.

     

The first 1,2-dibora-[2]ferrocenophane and its dynamic behaviour in solution

1,2-Bis(dimethylamino)-1,2-dibora-[2]ferrocenophane (1) was prepared by the reaction of 1,1′-dilithioferrocene with 1,2-dichlorobis(dimethylamino)diborane(4). In addition to hindered rotation about the B-N bond (ΔG^‡ > 80 kJ mol⁻¹), another dynamic process was revealed by ¹H and ¹³C NMR in solution at low temperature, and interpreted as motion of the cyclopentadienyl rings between staggered and eclipsed conformations (ΔG_{(233 K)}^‡ = 44 ± 1 kJ mol⁻¹).     

Improved determination of flavour compounds in butter by solid-phase (micro)extraction and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography

The practicability and potential of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC x GC) coupled to both conventional flame ionisation (FID) and time-of-flight mass spectrometric (TOF-MS) detection, were compared with those of conventional one-dimensional (1D) GC, with the determination of flavour compounds in butter as an application. For polar flavour compounds, which were collected from the aqueous fraction of butter by means of solid-phase extraction (SPE), it was found that GC x GC dramatically improves the overall separation. Consequently, quantification and preliminary identification based on the use of ordered structures, can be performed more reliably. The improvement effected by replacing 1D-GC by GC x GC is considerable also in the case of TOF-MS detection, as illustrated by the high match factors generally obtained during identification. GC x GC was also used successfully for the characterisation of volatile flavour compounds in the headspace of butter collected by solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and to study the effect of heat treatment on the composition of butter samples in more detail.     

Limitations and perspectives in the determination of carbofuran with various liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry interfacing systems

Column liquid chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (LC-MS) has been widely accepted as the preferred technique for the identification and quantification of polar and thermally labile compounds at trace levels. Over the last decade many different types of LC-MS interfacing techniques have been used for the determination of carbamate pesticides and especially for the N-methylcarbamate carbofuran. This article addresses the difficulties encountered with the various types of LC-MS interface and discusses recent alternatives for the determination of carbofuran. With thermospray and particle beam interfaces the quantification of carbofuran is affected by both the ion source pressure and temperature, whereas quantification using the recently developed atmospheric pressure ionization interfaces, atmospheric pressure chemical ionization, electrospray, and ionspray, is less dependent on these parameters.     

Systematische untersuchungen über das verhalten von organozinnverbindungen gegenüber flüssigem schwefeldioxid II. Reaktionen von arylstannanen mit flüssigem SO2

The behaviour of tetraarylstannanes, R₄Sn (R = C₆H₅CH₂, C₆H₅, o-, m-, p-CH₃C₆H₄), towards SO₂ under various conditions has now been studied in detail. Compared to aliphatic tetraorganostannanes, the variability of the reaction products is much less, so that in nearly all cases only disulfinates, R₂Sn(O₂SR)₂, are formed. The aromatic tin(IV) mono-, di- and tri-sulfinates are also obtained by metathetical reaction between the corresponding organotin halides and sodium sulfinates. A unique feature of triaryltin chlorides, R₃SnCl (R = C₆H₅, o-, m-, p-CH₃C₆H₄), is their disproportionation in liquid SO₂ leading to disulfinates, R₂Sn(O₂SR)₂, and dichlorides, R₂SnCl₂. (p-CH₃C₆H₄)₂SnCl₂, under more efficient conditions, also accepts SO₂ forming (p-CH₃C₆H₄SO₂)₂SnCl₂. The structural investigations of the newly prepared compounds are carried out on the basis of their IR and ¹H NMR spectra.