Comparison of enantioseparations using Cu(II) complexes with L-amino acid amides as chiral selectors or chiral stationary phases by capillary electrophoresis,capillary electrochromatography and micro liquid chromatography

In this paper we report that Cu(II) complexes with L-amino acid amides were used as chiral selectors for enantioseparation by capillary electrophoresis, capillary electrochromatography (CEC) and micro liquid chromatography using chemically modified monolithic columns. The enantioselectivity, enantiomer migration order, and the performance have been compared when different chiral selectors were used in these modes. L-Enantiomers showed longer retention times than D-forms in both CEC and LC modes. However, it has interestingly been observed that the migration order of Dns-DL-Ser showed an exception in CEC using L-prolinamide-modified column that Dns-L-Ser was eluted as the first peak. On the basis of proposed structures of complexes in the chiral recognition, differences in migration orders and recognition mechanism were discussed.     

Comparative study on pore structures of mesoporous ZSM-5 from resorcinol-formaldehyde aerogel and carbon aerogel templating

Resorcinol-formaldehyde aerogels and carbon aerogels of different mesoporosities have been used as templates for preparing bimodal zeolites of mesopores. Samples were thoroughly characterized with X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, N(2) adsorption at 77 K, as well as FT-IR spectroscopy and (29)Si nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The mesoporous ZSM-5 zeolites have additional mesopores of 9-25 nm in widths and 0.07-0.2 cm(3)/g in volumes, besides their perfect inherent micropores. Experimental results show the mesoporous systems of the finally obtained zeolites can be influenced by proper preparation of resorcinol-formaldehyde aerogels and carbon aerogels through solution chemistry. Consequently, zeolites of tunable mesoporosities can be prepared with this unique methodology.     

Effect of specific adsorbed anions on the electrode kinetics of the V(III)/V(II) and Eu(III)/Eu(II) couples

Electrochemical kinetic parameters of the V(III)/V(II) and Eu(III)/Eu(II) couples in sulfuric, perchloric, hydrochloric, and hydrobromic acids were measured by potentiostatic and double pulse galvanostatic methods. The ₂ potentials in these solutions were calculated from electrocapillary measurements and the effect of the ₂ potentials on the electrode kinetics was discussed. The kinetic data after the Frumkin correction was applied show a very good agreement in H₂SO₄, HClO₄, and HCl solutions, if we assume that the non-complexed ion, which is partially supplied by the dissociation of complex ions, participates in the electrode reaction. The corrected rate constants in the bromide solution were about ten times larger than those to be expected from the ₂ potentials in the case of the V(III)/V(II) couple and a small acceleration effect was observed for the Eu(III)/Eu(II) couple. The greater reaction rate in the bromide solution is explained by the bridging effect.     

Crack-Free,Thick Ceramic Coating Films via Non-Repetitive Dip-Coating Using Polyvinylpyrrolidone as Stress-Relaxing Agent

BaTiO₃ and PZT films were prepared from alkoxide-acetate solutions containing polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) by non-repetitive dip-coating. It was demonstrated that PVP incorporated in gel films suppresses crack formation during heating and increases the critical thickness, the maximum thickness achievable without crack formation via single-step deposition. Using PVP crack-free BaTiO₃ and PZT films 1.2 and 0.5 m in thickness could be prepared, respectively, via single-step dip-coating. The films were fairly transparent and dense in microstructure. The tensile stress in heat-treated BaTiO₃ films was also demonstrated to decrease significantly by incorporating PVP in gel films.     

Developments and structures of mesopores in alkaline-treated ZSM-5 zeolites

ZSM-5 zeolites with SiO₂/Al₂O₃ molar ratio of 24 were treated in 0.05 M aqueous sodium hydroxide solution at 325 K in different periods. The samples were characterized by means of nitrogen adsorption at 77 K, field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Analysis of the experimental results showed that the alkaline treatment periods have influence on the developments and structures of mesopores in the alkaline-treated ZSM-5 zeolites. Alkaline treatment initially develops mesopores mainly from the boundary portion of MFI zeolites to the bulk, while prolonged treatment destroys the mesopores, and an optimum mesoporosity is obtained by the treatment for 1.5 h. On the other hand, crystallinities and short-range order in alkaline treated zeolites have remained virtually unchanged according to the examination from X-ray diffractometry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.     

Intermolecular biological electron transfer: an electrochemical approach.

We investigated the electron transfer (ET) rates between a well-defined gold electrode and cytochrome c immobilized at the carboxylic acid terminus of alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) by using the potential modulated electroreflectance technique. A logarithmic plot of ET rates against the chain length of the alkanethiol is linear with long chain alkanethiols. The ET rates become independent of the chain length with short alkanethiols. It is proposed that the rate-limiting ET step through short alkyl chains results from a configurational rearrangement process preceding the ET event. This "gating" process arises from a rearrangement of the cytochrome c from a thermodynamically stable binding form on the carboxylic acid terminus to a configuration, which facilitates the most efficient ET pathways (surface diffusion process). We propose that the lysine-13 of mammalian cytochrome c facilitates the most efficient ET pathway to the carboxylate terminus and this proposal is supported by the ET reaction rate of a rat cytochrome c mutant (RC9-K13A) [Elektrokhimiya (2001) in press], in which lysine-13 is replaced by alanine. The ET rate of K13A is more than six orders of magnitude smaller than that of the native protein.     

VACUUM-ULTRAVIOLET PHOTOACOUSTIC SPECTROSCOPY OF BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS USING SYNCHROTRON RADIATION AS A LIGHT SOURCE

Abstract— Photoacoustic measurements of biological materials such as DNA, lysozyme, squalene and yeast cells were performed for the first time in the vacuum-UV region above 150 nm using the gas-microphone technique and synchrotron radiation as a light source. The samples studied were in a form of thin film supported on a self-supporting collodion film. The results obtained for the phase of the photoacoustic signal were found consistent with the predictions from the simple one-dimensional theory. The signal amplitudes obtained as a function of the incident wavelength were interpreted as giving the absorptance (the fraction of the incident photon energy dissipated in the sample) spectrum.     

New water-soluble hydrogen donors for the enzymatic spectrophotometric determination of hydrogen peroxide

Eight N -alkyl-N-V-sulphopropylaniline derivatives have been synthesized and assessed as water-soluble hydrogen donors for the spectrophotometric determination of hydrogen peroxide in the presence of peroxidase. The sodium salts of N-ethyl-N-sulphopropylaniline (ALPS), N-ethyl-N-sulphopropyl-m-toluidine (TOPS) and N -ethyl-N-sulphopropyl-m-anisidine (ADPS) are recommended. They have excellent water solubilities, and the optimum pH range for oxidative condensation with 4-aminoantipyrine in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and peroxidase is 5.5–9.5. The absorbances of the resulting chromogens are 2–3 times higher than that achieved with phenol. The molar absorptivities of the chromogens with 4-aminoantipyrine are 41300 (ALPS, λ_max 561 nm), 37400 (TOPS, λ_max 550 nm) and 27900 (ADPS, λ_max 540 nm). Calibration graphs for the determination of hydrogen peroxide in the presence of a control serum are linear for 7–40 × 10^-6 mol H₂O₂ l^-1.     

Modeling of the hysteresis phenomena in finite-sized slitlike nanopores. Revision of the recent results by rigorous numerical analysis

The systematic investigation of the hysteresis phenomena in finite-sized slitlike nanopores via the Aranovich-Donohue (AD) lattice density functional theory (LDFT) is presented. The new reliable quantitative modeling of the adsorption and desorption branch of the hysteresis loop, through the formation and movement of the curved meniscus, is formulated. As a result, we find that our proposal, which closely mimics the experimental findings, can reproduce a rounded shape of the desorption branch of the hysteresis loop. On the basis of the exhausted commutations, we proved that the hysteresis loop obtained in the considered finite-sized slitlike geometry is of the H1 type of the IUPAC classification. This fundamental result and the other most important results do not confirm the results of the recent studies of Sangwichien et al., whereas they fully agree with the recent lattice studies due to Monson et al. We recognize that the nature of the hysteresis loops (i.e. position, width, shape, and the multiple steps) mainly depends on the value of the energy of both the adsorbate-adsorbate and adsorbate-adsorbent interactions; however, the first one is critical for the appearance of hysteresis. Thus, for relatively small adsorbate-adsorbate interactions, the adsorption-desorption process is fully reversible in the whole region of the bulk density. We show that the strong adsorbate-adsorbent interactions produce (also observed experimentally) multiple steps within hysteresis loops. Contrary to the other studies of the hysteresis phenomena in confined geometry via the LDFT formalism, we constructed both ascending and descending scanning curves, which are known from the experimental observations. Additionally, we consider the problem of the stability of both the obtained adsorption and desorption branches of the computed hysteresis loop in finite-sized slitlike nanopores.