Interaction with micelles as a driving force for uphill transport of organic cations across ion exchange membranes

Uphill transport of L-Dopa and phenylalanine (Phe) across cation-exchange membranes into micelle-containing receiver solutions is reported. With L-Dopa as the analyte in a sample solution at a pH where it is it a zwitterion, preconcentration by a factor of 3.2 +/- 0.2 (n = 5) is observed when 0.10M sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) is the receiver. When the SDS concentration is varied, preconcentration of L-Dopa is not observed until the critical micelle concentration is reached. Similar results were obtained with Phe as the analyte under conditions where it is protonated in both the sample and receiver. The transport is demonstrated to obey the assumptions required to quantify the results by the fixed-time kinetic method. That is, the amount of Phe transferred from a 200-ml sample across a 10-cm(2) membrane into a 5-ml receiver was directly proportional both to the dialysis time for up to 90-min and to the initial concentration of Phe in the sample when a 60-min dialysis time was used. The latter yielded a constant enrichment factor, 4.8 +/- 0.2 (n = 6), when the sample concentration of Phe was in the range 0.61 mM-6.0 muM. Means to increase the enrichments to practical values are discussed.     

Longitudinal relaxation of muonium in Ge and GaAs

Longitudinal-field muon-spin depolarization rates in high-purityGe and semiinsulatingGaAs are reported and compared to similar data for intrinsicSi. Depolarization onset temperatures provide a comparison of charge carrier concentrations leading to rapid charge exchange and a shift in the onset, for n-typeGaAs verifies anelectron process. The temperature dependence of the low-field rate constants imply more complicated dynamics inGe than observed earlier inSi. Features near 750K inGaAsTe appear consistent with dissociation of aMu-Te pair.This work was supported by the US National Science Foundation (DMR-8917639 [TLE, BH]), the Science and Engineering Research Council of the UK (EAD, AS, SFJC), the Robert A. Welch Foundation (D-1053 [RLL], and C-1048 [TLE]), and a NATO Collaborative Research Grant (RLL, SFJC, RCD, CS). We wish to thank D.A. Vanderwater of Hewlett Packard for providing theGaAsTe sample.     

X-ray and molecular mechanics studies on the sesquiterpene lactone eupatocunin-o-bromobenzoate — An unusual case of disorder involving atropisomerism

The molecular structure of the cytotoxic sesquiterpene lactone eupatocunin has been determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis of theo-bromobenzoate derivative. Two structural isomers, arising from hindered rotation, are present within the single crystal. The molecules are disordered (ratio 0.750.25) with the bromine atom occupying alternate ortho positions on the aromatic ring. Molecular mechanics has been used to examine the energies of molecular conformation by torsion angle variation.     

Coupling of equivalent particles in a field of given symmetry

A formula of Kotani for the coupling of equivalent particles in a field of a given symmetry is rederived using group algebraic methods.