The foam analogy: from phases to elasticity

By mapping the interactions of colloidal particles onto the problem of minimizing areas, the physics of foams can be used to understand the phase diagrams of both charged and fuzzy colloids. We extend this analogy to study the elastic properties of such colloidal crystals and consider the face-centered cubic, body-centered cubic and A15 lattices. We discuss two types of soft interparticle potentials corresponding to charged and fuzzy colloids, respectively, and we analyze the dependence of the elastic constants on density as well as on the parameters of the potential. We show that the bulk moduli of the three lattices are generally quite similar, and that the shear moduli of the two non-close-packed lattices are considerably smaller than in the face-centered cubic lattice. We find that in charged colloids, the elastic constants are the largest at a finite screening length, and we discuss a shear instability of the A15 lattice.     

Mass spectrometry analysis of synthetically myristoylated peptides

Myristoylpeptides were synthesized in order to determine if a neutral loss of 210 Da, C14H26O (the mass of the myristoyl moiety), was universal and observable by both liquid chromatography electrospray ionization quadrupole ion trap (LC-ESI-QIT) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight time-of-flight (MALDI-ToF/ToF) mass spectrometry. Myristoylation was successfully introduced on the N-terminus, internally on the amino group of lysine and arginine. Larger peptides and the arginine compounds needed elevated temperatures for myristoylation. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a chemically-synthesized myristoylated arginine in a peptide. Collision energy studies for the LC-ESI-QIT instrument showed that modified peptides and a loss of 210 Da could be detected under commonly used conditions (energy level between 30 and 42%) with picomole amounts of sample. The loss of myristoyl moiety is observed on the MALDI-Tof/Tof mass spectrometer as well. Due to the hydrophobic properties of the myristoyl moiety, it is not surprising that the modified peptides all formed at least dimers, and in some cases trimers. We were also able to distinguish a mixture of two mono-myristoylated peptides. MS3 data from the LC-ESI-QIT instrument on a di-myristoylated peptide indicates the loss of 210 Da at either the N-terminus or lysine. We were also able to analyze a mixture of modified and unmodified peptides on the MALDI-ToF/ToF instrument. The data presented in this paper demonstrates the constant neutral loss of the 210 Da, C14H26O, from both N-terminally and internally myristoylated peptides can be identified unambiguously using LC-ESI-QIT or MALDI-ToF/ToF mass spectrometers. This will be a useful tool in determining the myristoylation status of candidate proteins after enzyme digestion, and in elucidating the modification sites of internal myristoyl proteins.     

Spectrophotometric determination of bismuth after extraction of hexadecyltributylphosphonium tetraiodobismuthate(III) by microcrystalline benzophenone

Bismuth (0–110 μg) is determined spectrophotometrically at 495 nm after its adsorptive extraction from dilute sulphuric acid as hexadecyltributylphosphonium tetraiodobismuthate(III) on microcystalline benzophenone and dissolution of the solid phase in carbon tetrachloride. The effects of acidity, diverse ions and masking studies are reported. The system is applied to the determination of bismuth in pharmaceutical samples.     

Carbohydrates of cultivated varieties ofAlthea rosea

The polysaccharides of three cultivated varieties ofAlthea rosea have been investigated. The amounts of water-soluble polysaccharides and pectin substances in various organs of the plant have been determined. It has been shown that the maximum amount of water-soluble polysaccharides and pectin substances is present in the flowers. Their monosaccharide compositions have been studied. The physicochemical characteristics of the pectin substances are given.     

Development of a one step strip test for the detection of sulfadimidine residues.

The one step strip test described is a competitive immunoassay in which the detector reagent consists of colloidal gold particles coated with affinity purified polyclonal anti-sulfadimidine (SDD) antibodies. The capture reagent in the assay is an SDD-ovalbumin conjugate which is immobilised on the lateral flow membrane of the test device. In the test procedure, 150 microliters (four drops) of a liquid sample (buffer, urine or milk) are brought into the sample well of the test device and allowed to migrate over the membrane. The more analyte present in the sample, the more effectively it will compete with the SDD immobilised on the membrane for binding to the limited amount of antibodies of the detector reagent. A sufficient amount of SDD in the sample will therefore prevent the binding of the detector reagent to the SDD immobilised on the membrane. Therefore, a positive sample will not show a test line in the read-out zone. With spiked buffer or calf urine this was obtained at a level of > 10 ng ml-1 of SDD and with spiked (diluted) fresh cow milk at a level > 20 ng ml-1 of SDD. At these levels, the test is applicable only as a qualitative assay. The presence or absence of a test line indicates lower or higher levels of SDD, respectively. The major advantages of the one step strip test are that results can be obtained within 10 min and that all reagents are included in the test device.     

Quantitative Bestimmung von Sulfat und Sulfid (nach Oxydation) mit Hilfe des Orion-„Ionalizers“

A potentiometric procedure for the determination of sulphate has been tested. The analysis requires approx. 10–15 min time. The determination of the end-point is free from individual influences. In the determination of 0.1 N sodium sulphate an average error of the single measurement of fm=± 0.7% was observed. The more detailed complexometric method according to ?Deutsche Einheitsverfahren“ yielded an average mistake of fm=±2%. The method was applied to the determination of sulphate from sulphide (after oxidation of the latter). No considerable deviation from the gravimetrically ascertained values was noted. Borate does not interfere.     

N-Monobromamide: Darstellung durch Bromierung mit „Dibromisocyanursäure”, Eigenschaften

By reaction of primary carboxamides with “dibromoisocyanuric acid” (DBI) N-monobromoamides can be readily obtained as well as the N,N-dibromoamides described in an earlier paper¹. Reactions, some of them new, and properties of these compounds are described and compared with those of the N,N-dibromoamides. Like other compounds bearing the NHBr group^{2, 3} the N-monobromocarboxamides disproportionate at room temperature according to: 2 RCONHBr ? ? RCONH₂+RCONBr₂. For CH₃CONHBr the equilibrium constant was found to beK=0.02. In aqueous solution they behave as weak acids. The dissociation constants of eight compounds [R=?CH₃, ?C₂H₅, ?CH₂Cl, ?CHCl₂, ?CCl₃, ?CF₃, ?C(CH₃)₃ and ?C₆H₅] were measured: they differ from those of the corresponding carboxylic acids by about three powers of ten.     

Effects of chemical exchange and self-diffusion on the spin-echo signals in two-spin systems

A theoretical study is reported for nuclear spin echo in a two-spin system. It is assumed that the decay of the echo signals is due to translational diffusion of the molecules and to chemical exchange between magnetically distinct nuclei. The behavior of the spin system is described by McConnell's equations, as modified to include diffusion. The method of stationary Markov processes is applied to solve the equations of motion. Theoretical explanations are given for spin-echo observations.     

Influence of extended π-conjugation units on carrier mobilities in conducting polymers

Carrier mobilities in thin films of copolymers with repeat units consisting of oligothiophenes bridged by Si atoms are measured over a range of doping levels, where the numbers of thienylenes in the repeat unit are 7, 8, 10, 12, and 14. The mobilities for these polymer films increased with the increase in doping level and the mobility enhancement followed an increasing order of the π-conjugation length. The magnitude of the mobility increase for the Si polymer comprising 14 thiophene units reached ca. 10⁴, implying that this π-conjugation length is almost sufficient to reproduce transport properties of polythiophenes.     

Effects of deformability, uneven surface charge distributions, and multipole moments on biocolloid electrophoretic migration

Liposomes have been widely used as cellular and bioparticle mimics due to their lipid bilayer structure and relative ease of production and manipulation. Such biocolloids are frequently characterized by capillary electrophoresis (CE), which promises a wealth of information about such properties as surface charge, composition, and rigidity. The applicability of this information is somewhat limited, however, since it is interpreted with colloidal theories that do not account for the unique properties of biocolloids. In this work, the effects of deformability, mobile surface charges, intrinsic polarizability, and uneven surface charge distributions are incorporated into colloidal theories in order to better model the electrophoretic behaviors of liposomes.