Uncertainty in the determination of glucose in aqueous solutions by high‐performance liquid chromatography with evaporative light scattering detection

The determination of glucose and other carbohydrates is the most widespread chemical analysis that is performed within the industries of food, beverage, forage, biomass, pulp and paper, pharmaceuticals among others. Besides that, sugar refineries need to control their products, by‐products and effluents, and furthermore, glucose in the sucrose refining process, is considered an impurity, which shall be controlled. Being HPLC the most currently instrumental technique used for glucose analysis, the evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD) offers advantages (sensitivity, possibility for operating in gradient mode) over the also used refractive index detector. In this work, an HPLC‐ELSD methodology was optimised and validated, aiming the estimate of the uncertainty associated with the results at low levels of concentration of glucose to be measured. Linearity of the response was obtained in the range of glucose concentrations from 20 to 300 mg/L, with an analysis time of 10 min. The global uncertainty was estimated accordingly to the bottom‐up approach used by Eurachem. It was 13% on average for concentrations from 100 to 300 mg/L. For lower concentrations, uncertainty increased significantly up to 30% in the vicinity of the LOD of the method.     

Liquid chromatography-diode array detection-electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry/nuclear magnetic resonance analyses of the anti-hyperglycemic flavonoid extract of Genista tenera. Structure elucidation of a flavonoid-C-glycoside

The anti-hyperglycemic flavonoid extract obtained from Genista tenera was first studied by liquid chromatography (LC)-diode array detection (DAD) which showed the presence of two major compounds. One of them was identified as genistein-7-O-glucoside. Luteolin-7-O-glucoside was detected as a minor constituent, while luteolin-7,3'-di-O-glucoside and rutin were found in trace amounts. LC-DAD-ESI-MS and NMR were used to confirm the structure of these compounds and allowed the elucidation of the structure of the unknown major compound, which is the flavonoid 5,7,4'-trihydroxyisoflavone-8-C-glucoside.     

Do‐it‐yourself functionalized silicones part 2: synthesis by ring opening polymerization of commercial cyclosiloxanes

The second paper of the series devoted to the preparation and characterization of vinyl and hydrido‐functionalized silicones proposes readily available techniques to polymerize commercially available cyclosiloxanes. This study is divided into two main sections: one relies on the synthesis of various functional silicone oils by heterogeneous cationic ring opening polymerization (ROP) of cyclotetrasiloxanes (D₄, D) and appropriate 1,3‐difunctional disiloxanes; the second part describes the anionic ROP of hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane (D₃) initiated by potassium silanolates to prepare both homo‐ and hetero‐vinyl functionalized silicones. The conditzions in which polymers with desired molecular weights can be obtained have been established and some kinetic considerations are also reported. The width of the final molar mass distribution ranged between 1.5 and 1.8, respectively, in any case narrower than the mixtures proposed by different providers (around 2). Polymers were characterized by different techniques of size exclusion chromatography (SEC), proton and silicon nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H and ²⁹Si NMR), and mass spectrometry. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reductive transformations of unsaturated azabicyclic nitrolactams

Using different reducing methods unsaturated indolizidine and quinolizidine lactams substituted with a nitro group were transformed into various alkaloid-like derivatives. Hydrogen transfer and palladium catalyzed hydrogenation gave compounds of ketolactam or lactam type meanwhile the nitro group was eliminated. On the other hand, in presence of Raney-nickel catalyst the nitro compounds were reduced to diastereomeric amino derivatives whose stereochemistry was elucidated by NMR spectroscopy. Using sodium bis-dimethoxy-ethoxy-aluminum-hydride (Red-Al) as reducing agent an unexpected tricyclic azetidine was isolated and characterized.     

南京石膏矿特大突水灾害机理研究

发生于2006年9月11日的南京石膏矿特大突水灾害不仅改变了矿区及外围的地下水流场, 并引发了矿区地面沉降变形, 对地表附属物产生了一定的破坏作用, 造成了包括矿山关闭在内的巨大财产损失。南京石膏矿涉及典型的深部矿山地质工程问题, 影响地下开采稳定、矿山灾害和环境问题的主要因素是矿体及围岩的岩性结构及岩体结构构造, 特别是断裂构造及其影响带裂隙发育情况、富水性、导水率。围岩的岩溶强烈富水带的存在是矿坑突水的直接水源; 矿体的软岩特性、矿山开采扰动使采场周围的应力场重新分布、开采对断裂构造及裂隙带等结构体的活化作用都加剧了突水灾害的发生。     

Graphene solutions

Thermodynamics drive the spontaneous dissolution of a graphite intercalation compound (GIC) KC(8) in NMP to form stable solutions. Reduction potential of graphene is measured at +22 mV vs. SCE. Single layer graphene flakes (ca. 1 μm(2)) have been unambiguously identified by electron diffraction.     

Polylactide compositions. II. Correlation between morphology and main properties of PLA/calcium sulfate composites

Starting from calcium sulfate (gypsum) as fermentation by‐product of lactic acid production process, high performance composites have been produced by melt‐blending polylactide (PLA, L/D isomer ratio of 96:4) and β‐anhydrite II (AII) filler, that is, calcium sulfate hemihydrate previously dehydrated at 500 °C. Characterized by attractive mechanical and thermal properties due to good filler dispersion throughout the polyester matrix, these composites are interesting for potential use as biodegradable rigid packaging. Physical characterization of selected composites filled with 20 and 40 wt % AII has been performed and compared to processed unfilled PLA with similar amorphous structure. State of dispersion of the filler particles and interphase characteristic features have been investigated using light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Addition of AII did not decrease PLA thermal stability as revealed by thermogravimetry analyses (TGA) and allowed reaching a slight increase of PLA crystallizability during melt crystallization and upon heating from the glassy, amorphous state (DSC). It was found by thermomechanical measurements (DMTA) that the AII filler increased pronouncedly storage modulus (E′) of the composites in comparison with PLA in a broad temperature range. The X‐ray investigations showed stable/unchanged crystallographic structure of AII during processing with molten PLA and in the composite system. The notable thermal and mechanical properties of PLA–AII composites are accounted for by the good filler dispersion throughout the polyester matrix confirmed by morphological studies, system stability, and favorable interactions between components. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 2770–2780, 2007