Compact beam expander based on planar structure to avoid inner focus

Optical Review - Based on the planar optical theory, compact beam expanders are proposed to miniaturize the dimension of an optical system. Both simulated and experimental results have demonstrated...     

Blue-emitting LaAlO3:Tm3+, In3+ phosphors for field emission displays

Tm³⁺ and In³⁺ co-doped LaAlO₃ phosphors were prepared by a Pechini sol–gel method and characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, and cathodoluminescence spectrum. The phosphor is composed of slightly aggregated particles with approximately spherical shape and a narrow size range of 1.0–1.5 μm. Under voltage electron beam excitation, the phosphor shows the characteristic emissions of Tm³⁺. All the color purity, radiant efficiency, luminous efficiency, and stability of the optimum LaAlO₃:0.01Tm³⁺, 0.04In³⁺ phosphor are superior to these of commercial ZnS:Ag,Cl phosphor. These tests suggest that it could be a potential candidate as a blue phosphor for field emission displays.     

Crystal structure of an unsymmetrical Schiff base, immobilization of its cobalt and manganese complexes on a silica support, and catalytic studies

An unsymmetrical tetradentate Schiff base (H₂L) was synthesized by the reaction of 3-methoxysalicylaldehyde, o-phenylenediamine, and salicylaldehyde in EtOH. H₂L was characterized by single-crystallographic X-ray analysis. Its Co(II) and Mn(III) complexes ([CoL] and [MnLCl]) were prepared and immobilized on 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane functionalized silica gel. The immobilized materials were found to be efficient catalysts for epoxidation of styrene in the presence of tert-BuOOH in acetonitrile at 40 °C. The catalysts can be reused several times without significant loss of performance.     

Development of a stable isotope dilution UPLC‐MS/MS method for quantification of dexmedetomidine in a small amount of human plasma

Dexmedetomidine (Dex) is a selective central α2‐agonist with anesthetic properties and has been used in clinical practice for sedation in the intensive care unit (ICU) after operations. In this study, an analytical assay for the determination of Dex in a small amount of plasma was developed for the application to pediatric ICU trials. The quantification of Dex was constructed using the original stable isotope Dex‐d₃ for electrospray ionization‐tandem mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS/MS) in the selected reaction monitoring mode. A rapid ultra‐performance liquid chromatography technique was adopted using ESI‐MS/MS with a runtime of 3 min. Efficacious concentration levels (50 pg/mL to 5 ng/mL) could be evaluated using a very small amount of plasma (10 μL) from patients. The lower limit of the quantification was 5 pg/mL in the plasma (100 µL). For sample preparation, a solid‐phase extraction was used along with the OASIS‐HLB cartridge type. Recovery values ranged from 98.8 to 100.3% for the intra‐ [relative standard deviation (RSD), 0.9–1.3%] and inter‐ (RSD, 0.9–1.5%) day assays. A stable test had recovery values that ranged from 97.8 to 99.7% with an RSD of 1.0–1.9% for the process/wet extract, bench‐top, freeze–thaw and long‐term tests. This method was used to measure the Dex levels in plasma from pediatric ICU patients. In the clinical ICU trial, the small amount of blood (approximate plasma volume, 200 μL) remaining from blood gas analysis was reused and targeted for the clinical analysis of Dex in plasma. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Montmorillonite K10: Catalyst for Friedel–Crafts Alkylation of Indoles and Pyrrole with Nitroalkenes Under Solventless Conditions

Montmorillonite K10 was found to catalyze the Michael addition of indoles or pyrrole with nitroalkenes efficiently under solventless condition. The short reaction time, simple workup, and excellent yields were noteworthy. The green catalyst could be reused for three runs without considerable variation in yield.     

Improving the Catalytic Stability of Ni/TiO2 for Ethanol Guerbet Condensation: Influence of Second Metal Component

Kinetics and Catalysis - Ethanol Guerbet condensation (EGC) is a green process for preparing n-butanol and the development of highly effective solid catalysts is still the bottleneck of this...