Continuation calculations of boron- (aluminum-, titanium-, and nickel-) doped La13 clusters

In this work, we have calculated boron-, aluminum-, titanium-, and nickel-doped La13 clusters by DMOL method based on the density-functional theory. Two doping modes are employed: surface and center doping. The boron, aluminum, and nickel atoms prefer to occupy the surface sites while the titanium atom prefers to occupy the center site. The doped La13 clusters with these four kinds of atoms have lower binding energy than pure La13 clusters. The icosahedral isomers are of lower binding energy than cubotahedral and decahedral isomers for La12B(-1), La12Al(-1), and La12Ni, while doping makes the cubotahedral La12Ti stable with a binding energy a little lower than icosahedral La12Ti. There are electronic shell effects in icosahedral La12B(-1) and La12Al(-1). The icosahedral La12B(-1) is promising to be formed during the doped process experimentally. Furthermore, we have also discussed the distorted structures of center doping by bond lengths, density of states, and charge transfers.     

A rigid linker-scaffold for solid-phase synthesis of dimeric pharmacophores

Bifunctional linker-scaffolds (compounds 1-3) were designed to meet several criteria for solid-phase syntheses of bivalent ligands. They have two amine-functionalized arms that can be differentially protected. Elaboration of these arms could give ligand-pharmacophore dimers wherein the two active components are held reasonably rigidly at around 10 A separation. Their bifunctional design also enables reactions of libraries with libraries to amplify diversity in a truly combinatorial fashion. Molecules 1-3 are also designed so that cleavage of the linker liberates the scaffold entity into solution under conditions that create only byproducts that should not interfere with biological assays. Thus they contain 2-nitrobenzene sulfonamide components that cleave in the presence of good nucleophiles. In the event, the linker-scaffolds 1-3 were prepared (Schemes 1 and 2). The N-benzyl system 2 was shown to have good stability to the types of conditions that might be used to functionalize the scaffold arms and to be sufficiently labile to the cleavage nucleophile (vide infra). The nucleophiles generally used to cleave nitrobenzene sulfonamides either generate undesirable byproducts (thiophenol or alkane thiols) or proved to be insufficiently reactive for the required solid-phase transformations (n-propylamine). However, sodium sulfide was investigated as a new alternative and shown to be a highly reactive cleavage agent that gives only volatile byproducts and sodium hydroxide. It is suggested that sodium sulfide is a highly desirable nucleophile for cleavage of 2-nitrobenzene sulfonamides, in general. The linker-scaffolds 1-3 were used to prepare a small library of bivalent ligands targeted to a protein receptor having charged cavities separated by approximately 10 A. These systems were made from guanidine, pyridinium, carboxylic acid, and sulfonic acid constituents (Tables 1 and 2).     

Synthesis and characterization of Ru2(DMBA)4X2 (X = CN, N3, N(CN)2, I): controlling structural, redox, and magnetic properties with axial ligands

Metathesis reactions between Ru(2)(DMBA)(4)Cl(2) (DMBA = N,N'-dimethylbenzamidinate) and MX (M = Na and K) yielded bis-adduct derivatives Ru(2)(DMBA)(4)X(2) (X = CN (1), N(3) (2), N(CN)(2) (3)). Metathesis reactions between Ru(2)(DMBA)(4)(NO(3))(2) and KI resulted in Ru(2)(DMBA)(4)I(2) (4). Compound 1 is diamagnetic, while compounds 2-4 are paramagnetic (S = 1). Both compounds 1 and 2 undergo two reversible one-electron processes, an oxidation and a reduction, while compound 3 features a quasireversible reduction. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies revealed that the Ru-Ru bond lengths are 2.4508(9), 2.3166(7), 2.304[1], and 2.328(1) A for compounds 1-4, respectively. Structural and electrochemical data clearly indicate that the axial ligands impart a significant influence on the electronic structures of diruthenium species.     

Comparing Intrinsic Reactivities of the First‐ and Second‐Generation Ruthenium Metathesis Catalysts in the Gas Phase

An experimental comparison of the gas‐phase reactivity of the 14‐electron reactive intermediates produced by phosphine dissociation from the first‐ and second‐generation ruthenium metathesis catalysts, (L)Cl₂Ru?CHR (L=PCy₃ or NHC), supports Grubbs's contention that the second‐generation catalysts show hundred‐fold higher phenomenological activity despite a slower phosphine dissociation because of a much more‐favorable partitioning of the 14‐electron active species towards product‐forming steps. The gas‐phase study finds, in ring‐opening metathesis of norbornene as well as acyclic metathesis of ethyl vinyl ether, that the first‐generation systems display evidence for a higher barrier above that for phosphine dissociation; the second‐generation systems, on the other hand, behave as if there is no significantly higher barrier.     

Adsorption of NH3 onto activated carbon prepared from palm shells impregnated with H2SO4

Adsorption of ammonia (NH3) onto activated carbons prepared from palm shells impregnated with sulfuric acid (H2SO4) was investigated. The effects of activation temperature and acid concentration on pore surface area development were studied. The relatively large micropore surface areas of the palm-shell activated carbons prepared by H2SO4 activation suggest their potential applications in gas adsorption. Adsorption experiments at a fixed temperature showed that the amounts of NH3 adsorbed onto the chemically activated carbons, unlike those prepared by CO2 thermal activation, were not solely dependent on the specific pore surface areas of the adsorbents. Further adsorption tests for a wide range of temperatures suggested combined physisorption and chemisorption of NH3. Desorption tests at the same temperature as adsorption and at an elevated temperature were carried out to confirm the occurrence of chemisorption due to the interaction between NH3 and some oxygen functional groups via hydrogen bonding. The surface functional groups on the adsorbent surface were detected by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The amounts of NH3 adsorbed by chemisorption were correlated with the contents of elemental oxygen present in the adsorbents. Mechanisms for chemical activation and adsorption processes are proposed based on the observed phenomena.     

Cellulose hydrolysis using zinc chloride as a solvent and catalyst

Cellulose gel with < 10% of crystallinity was prepared by treatment of microcrystalline cellulose, Avicel, with zinc chloride solution at a ratio of zinc chloride to cellulose from 1.5 to 18 (w/w). The presence of zinc ions in the cellulose gels enhanced the rate of hydrolysis and glucose yield. The evidence obtained from X-ray diffraction, iodine absorption experiments; and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectra analysis suggested the presence of zinc-cellulose complex after Avicel was treated with zinc chloride. Zinc-cellulose complex was more susceptible to hydrolysis than amorphous cellulose. Under the experimental condition, cellulose gels with zinc ions were hyrolyzed to glucose with 95% theoretical yield and a concentration of 14% (w/v) by cellulases within 20 h. The same gel was hydrolyzed by acid to glucose with 91.5% yield and a concentration of 13.4% (w/v).     

The Neutral Part of the Bark of Pinus Luchuensis Mayer

The neutral part of the acetone extract from the bark of Pinus luchuensis Mayer has been investigated and found to consist of alkanes (C₂₂–C₃₄) and triterpenes of serratene type. The triterpenes are 3β–methoxyserrat–14–en–21–one, serrat–14–en–3, 21–dione, 3β–hydroxyserrat–14–en–21–one, 3β–21α–dimethoxyserrat–l4–ene and 3β–methoxyserrat–14–en–21α–ol.     

LC Determination of 4-Bromoaniline in Green Algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii After Continuous-Flow Microextraction

In this study, the determination of 4-Bromoaniline (4-BA) in green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (C. reinhardtii) was investigated by applying continuous-flow microextraction (CFME) combined with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Continuous-flow microextraction was conducted in a homemade glass chamber, i.e. the sample solution flowed through a constant volume drop of solvent in the chamber at a constant flow rate. The effects of different factors on extraction efficiencies were also investigated and these factors included the kind of extraction solvent, solvent drop volume, sample flow rate, extraction time and addition amount of salt. Under the optimum extraction conditions (extraction solvent, carbon tetrachloride; solvent drop volume, 3.5 μL; sample flow rate, 1.0 mL min⁻¹; extraction time, 10 min; no addition of salt), the calibration plot was set up by plotting peak area against a series of 4-Bromoaniline concentrations (0.01–10 μg mL⁻¹) in aqueous solution. The correlation coefficient (r) was 0.9990. The limit of detection (LOD) was 0.6 ng mL⁻¹. The precision of this method was obtained by successive five time analyses of 100-ng mL⁻¹ standard solution of 4-Bromoaniline, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) was 3.5%. The concentration factor was calculated by the ratio of peak area of the analyte obtained after and before extraction and found to be 10.6. 4-Bromoaniline residues in Chlamydomonas. reinhardtii cells and tap water samples were satisfactorily analyzed according to the method described above.     

Self-assembly and characterization of paclitaxel-loaded N-octyl-O-sulfate chitosan micellar system

N-octyl-O-sulfate chitosan micellar system loaded paclitaxel was prepared by using dialysis method. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the modified chitosan was found to be 0.45 mg/ml. Compared with the amount of N-octyl-O-sulfate chitosan, the paclitaxel loading amount in the system was up to 25% (w/w), depending on both of the solvents used in dialysis and the feed weight ratio of paclitaxel to the derivative. The polymeric micelles forming and loading occurred simultaneously in the dialysis process when ethanol and water were utilized as the solvents for paclitaxel and the polymer, respectively. Paclitaxel-loaded micellar system of N-octyl-O-sulfate chitosan was characterized by DSC, WXRD and TEM. TEM photograph revealed that paclitaxel existed as the colloid particulates in ethanol before loading and in the cores of the spherical polymeric micelles after loading. The results of DSC and WXRD indicated that paclitaxel was transferred from the crystalline state to amorphous state after loading. The lyophilized powder of micellar system (25% (w/w) loading) could be reconstituted easily in aqueous media even after 2 months storage at 4 degrees C without the change of paclitaxel entrapment and micelle size. The reconstituted solution (2.1 mg paclitaxel/ml) also showed good stability. The dilution with saline may decrease the loading and physical stability based on the dilution times which was related with CMC of the polymer. In vitro tests showed that paclitaxel was slowly released from micellar solution and the release lasted up to 220 h by means of the dialysis method.     

Separation of metal ions by capillary electrophoresis

A number of experimental parameters have been optimized for the separation of 26 metal ions, including alkali, alkaline earth, transition and lanthanide metal ions. Experimental parameters that were evaluated included nature of indirect-detection reagent, pH of electrolyte, concentration of complexing agent and nature of the surface of the capillary; unbonded and C₁ and C₁₈ bonded phases were studied. In addition the effect of internal diameter on linearity and signal-to-noise ratio was examined, and separation efficiency was determined for a variety of experimental conditions. Detection limits (signal-to-noise RATIO = 3) were ca. 1 μg/ml for the lanthanides, ca. 0.6 μg/ml for transition and alkaline earth ions and ca. 0.1–0.8 μg/ml for alkali metal ions. The average relative standard deviations of were 3.7, 5.1 and 2.5% on unbonded, C₁ and C₁₈ capillaries, respectively. Whereas conventional regression analysis suggested that the calibration curves were linear over the range of 1·10⁻⁵ to 4·10⁻⁴ mol/l, sensitivity plots showed that the results were actually linear to within 6% only over the range of 2.5·10⁻⁵ to 4·10⁻⁴ mol/l.