Determination of arsenic species in water, soils and plants

Ion chromatographic separation coupled with ICP-MS was used to determine arsenic species in plant and soil extracts. A scheme for growth, harvesting, sample pre-treatment and analysis was developed for the arsenic species to enable determination. Preliminary results obtained with ten herb plants grown on arsenic-contaminated soil compared to non-contaminated soil show a heterogeneous pattern of accumulation rate, metabolization and detoxification mechanisms in monocots and dicots. Arsenite appears to be the major component in plants with good growth. Organic arsenic species were even detected at very low concentrations (< 150 microg kg(-1) (dry mass)).     

Efforts to expand the genetic alphabet: identification of a replicable unnatural DNA self-pair

Six unnatural nucleotides featuring fluorine-substituted phenyl nucleobase analogues have been synthesized, incorporated into DNA, and characterized in terms of the structure and replication properties of the self-pairs they form. Each unnatural self-pair is accommodated in B-form DNA without detectable structural perturbation, and all are thermally stable and selective to roughly the same degree. Furthermore, the efficiency of polymerase-mediated mispair synthesis is similar for each unnatural nucleotide in the template. In contrast, the efficiency of polymerase-mediated self-pair extension is highly dependent on the specific fluorine substitution pattern. The most promising unnatural base pair candidate of this series is the 3-fluorobenzene self-pair, which is replicated with reasonable efficiency and selectivity.     

121Sb-Mössbauer-Spektren von Antimon(V)-Verbindungen. II

¹²¹Sb Mössbauer Spectra of Antimony (V) Compounds. II The Mössbauer resonance effect of ¹²¹Sb has been studied at 4.2 K in a series of 11 antimony(V) compounds which are in most cases bridged. Isomer shift and quadrupole splitting variations are considered in the light of results of X-ray and vibrational spectroscopy. Preparation and the vibrational spectra of [NMe₄][SbCl₄(n₃)₂] are described. Within the limitations of available structural data related tin compounds are compared with those of corresponding ¹¹⁹Sn Mössbauer spectra.     

Wafer thickness optimization for silicon solar cells of heterogeneous material quality

In this Letter, we introduce a method of calculating the optimal wafer thickness for silicon solar cells with multicrystalline bulk material. The optimal thickness depends on the relation of bulk recombination to surface recombination and the light trapping. For multicrystalline silicon bulk recombination strongly varies laterally and with injection level, which complicates the calculations. A thickness optimization using the “Efficiency Limiting Bulk Recombination Analysis” (ELBA) takes all these effects correctly into account. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Synthesis of C-Disaccharides An Unusual Ring Closure Reaction

Abstract

Reaction of the 4-C-lithiomethyl intermediates, obtained from 4-deoxy-4-C-iodomethylglucopyranosides 5a,b, with open-chain glucose derivative 8 afforded 4-deoxy-4-C-heptitylglucopyranosides 9a,b. Mesylation of the newly generated hydroxy group and then desilylation gave 11a,b which were subjected to ring closure under basic conditions. Surprisingly, no C-bridged cellobiosides 12a,b (or, alternatively the corresponding maltosides) were obtained as major products; with loss of one benzyl alcohol residue the furanosides 13a,b were preferentially formed. Their generation and structural assignment is discussed.     

Critical distance for fusion and fusion barriers of very-heavy-ion collisions

For the fusion barriers of very-heavy-ion collisions we derive a simple analytical formulae which is based on the concept of the critical distance for fusion. The analytical expression reproduces the experimental fusion barriers within a large range of target-projectile combinations.