Solution mixing and the emission of light in flow-cells for chemiluminescence detection

Constructing flow-through reactors for chemiluminescence detection by machining channels into polymer disks has enabled the exploration of new configurations and materials that can improve signal intensity beyond that attainable with the traditional coiled-tubing design. Several approaches to merge reactant solutions were examined: an intersection, chamber or deeper well in the centre of a serpentine configuration flow-cell (directly in front of a photomultiplier tube), or a confluence point outside the detection zone. For several analytically useful, rapid chemiluminescence reactions, the single-inlet flow-cell with external Y-piece was most suitable, but for others (such as KMnO(4)/Mn(II) with morphine, and [Ir(f-ppy)(2)BPS](-) with fluoroquinolones) the dual-inlet configuration provided greater signals. The introduction of central mixing zones with larger widths than the channel reduced the chemiluminescence response. The reversing turns of a serpentine channel promote efficient mixing and greater chemiluminescence intensities than a spiral channel, but increasing the sharpness of the turns created areas of poor solution flow and decreased the chemiluminescence response. Teflon disks impregnated with glass microspheres increased the chemiluminescence signals by 13%-17%, due to the greater reflection of stray light towards the photodetector.     

Total synthesis of (-)-reveromycin B

[structure: see text] The total synthesis of the epidermal growth factor inhibitor reveromycin B (2) is described. A novel, convergent, and stereoselective reaction sequence was utilized to construct the 5,6-spiroketal system 10 which was converted into the natural product 2 by a 16-step sequence.     

The effect of solvent on the homo-propagation rate coefficients of styrene and methyl methacrylate

The free radical propagation rate coefficients of both Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) and Styrene (STY) have been measured using Pulsed-Laser Polymerization. The effect of solvents on the propagation rate coefficient, k_p, is reported for several solvents, namely, bromobenzene, chlorobenzene, dimethyl sulphoxide, diethyl malonate, diethyl phthalate, benzonitrile, and benzyl alcohol, at 26.5°C. This preliminary data indicated that benzyl alcohol (BzA) had a large effect on the MMA propagation reaction. As earlier work indicated that N-methyl pyrrolidinone (NMP) would also have a large effect on the k_p of MMA, Arrhenius parameters were evaluated for both MMA and STY at two different concentrations of monomer in BzA and NMP. BzA had a significant effect (at 95% confidence) increasing both the activation energy (E_a) and the preexponential factor (A) for MMA and STY. In NMP, a similar trend is observed for MMA polymerization; however, while a solvent effect on STY was observed, the effect on E_a and A was too small to discern with confidence. A series of additional experiments was performed to evaluate the influence of camphorsulfonic acid (CSA) as an additive in STY polymerization. There was no effect of CSA on k_p, confirming that the strong effect CSA has on “living” radical polymerization of styrene does not originate from complexation leading to an accelerated propagation step but rather by altering the ratio of active-to-dormant chains in the reaction. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35 : 2311–2321, 1997     

Active infrared thermography applied to the investigation of art and historic artefacts

Infrared thermography (IRT) is a non-destructive technique that has recently been extensively applied to the investigation of cultural heritage. It provides information on the surface and subsurface structure of the artefacts by the analysis of the heat diffusion process within the sample. IRT has been successfully applied to the study of historic large structures and buildings most of the time by means of the so-called passive approach, where only the naturally occurring temperature changes in the sample are analysed. On the other hand, IRT has also been applied to the study of other art and historic artefact by applying the so-called active method where the thermal stimulation of the sample is required. In this article, an overview of the applications of active thermography to the investigation of art and historic artefacts will be presented and discussed.     

Simultaneous heat capacity and thermal-diffusivity photoacoustic measurement at liquid-crystal phase transitions

Summary The photoacoustic-technique application to the simultaneous characterization of the thermal diffusivity, specific-heat capacity and thermal conductivity of a liquid crystal at a phase transition is presented for the first time. The first two parameters show a critical decrease and increase, respectively, while the third one does not exhibit any critical behaviour. To speed up publication, the authors of this paper have agreed to not receive the proofs for correction.     

Enantiospecific synthesis of (-)-trachyspic acid

The enantiospecific synthesis of (-)-trachyspic acid () is presented. This has allowed for the assignment of the absolute configuration of natural (+)-trachyspic acid as 3S,4S,6S.     

Use of triazole-ring formation to attach a Ru/TsDPEN complex for asymmetric transfer hydrogenation to a soluble polymer

The cycloaddition of a chiral ligand containing a terminal alkyne to a soluble polymer containing an azide provides a convenient means for the attachment of an asymmetric transfer hydrogenation catalyst to a soluble polymer support. Using these ligands in complexes with Ru(II), gave good results in terms of conversion and enantioselectivity (up to 95% ee) in ketone reduction reactions.