Magnesium-substituted calcium phosphate bone cements containing MgO as a separate phase: synthesis and in vitro behavior

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Full-field photonic biosensors based on tunable bio-doped sol-gel glasses

A full-field generic photonic biosensor approach, which relies on a bio-doped polymeric strip waveguide configuration, is described. We show the potential of tailor-made hybrid polymeric materials prepared by sol-gel technology for the fabrication of ultra-compact biosensor devices, where both the transducer and the recognition elements are merged into one single microstructure. Such devices were fabricated by micromolding in capillaries (MIMIC) soft lithographic technique. In contrast to evanescent field sensors, the sensor response does not only rely on the interaction of the evanescent wave with the recognition element, but on the interaction of the whole field, thus enabling a reduction of the sensor dimensions and/or a decrease of its limit of detection (LOD). The potential of this generic approach was demonstrated by developing a biosensor for the detection of H(2)O(2) using horseradish peroxidase (HRP) as the doping agent. Solutions containing 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic) acid (ABTS) and different concentrations of H(2)O(2) were dispensed over the waveguide and the green-coloured cation radical ABTS*(+) product was mainly obtained inside the photonic structure, resulting in a maximum absorption increase of 2.5 a.u. at a set working wavelength of 670 nm over the H(2)O(2) concentration range studied. The sensor exhibited a sensitivity of (3.1+/-0.2) x 10(3) a.u./mol L(-1) and a limit of detection (LOD) of 4.4 x 10(-5) mol L(-1) H(2)O(2). These results anticipate that full-field waveguide microstructures based on bio-doped sol-gel polymers will enable the fabrication of cost-effective photonic biosensors. Moreover, the ease of fabrication by a soft lithography technique and the use of such polymeric materials are fully compatible with their integration in compact automatic analysis systems.     

Stereoselective synthesis of 3-oxygenated-cis-dialkyl-2,5-substituted tetrahydrofurans from cyclohexadienediols

The 3-oxygenated-cis-dialkyl-2,5-substituted tetrahydrofuran system, present in several natural products, was prepared with good selectivity by acidic cyclization of 5-alkene-1,2,4-triol derivatives. The starting alkenol was obtained in few steps from a chiral cis-diol resulting from microbial oxidation of bromobenzene. The study of the cyclization allowed the rationalization of all experimental results by assuming a complete ionization at the allylic position and a model close to the one proposed by Labelle for homoallylic induction in five-membered ring closures.     

Highly enantioselective borane reduction of heteroaryl and heterocyclic ketoxime ethers catalyzed by novel spiroborate ester derived from diphenylvalinol: application to the synthesis of nicotine analogues

An asymmetric synthesis for the preparation of nonracemic amines bearing heterocyclic and heteroaromatic rings is described. A variety of important enantiopure thionyl and arylalkyl primary amines were afforded by the borane-mediated enantioselective reduction of O-benzyl ketoximes using 10% of catalyst 10 derived from ( S)-diphenylvalinol and ethylene glycol with excellent enantioselectivity, in up to 99% ee. The optimal condition for the first asymmetric reduction of 3- and 4-pyridyl-derived O-benzyl ketoxime ethers was achieved using 30% of catalytic loading in dioxane at 10 degrees C. ( S)- N-ethylnornicotine ( 3) was also successfully synthesized from the TIPS-protected ( S)-2-amino-2-pyridylethanol in 97% ee.     

Thermal and Chemical Nonequilibrium Effects in Free-Burning Arcs

Effects caused by thermal and chemical nonequilibrium in free-burning arcs in argon are presented and discussed. The results cover a range of arc currents between 100 and 200 A, interelectrode distance of 5–10 mm, and a variation of the electrode material and the shape of the cathode tip. The results obtained show that nonequilibrium in the near-electrode regions has a strong impact on the distributions of temperatures, electric conductivity and current density, and the arc voltage. Departure from chemical nonequilibrium in the vicinity of the cathode as a result of transport processes is indicated. Moreover, overpopulation of the atomic ground state close to the arc axis, under population of the excited states in the arc periphery with respect to the equilibrium values, axial dependence of the off-axis maximum of the radial emission coefficient of Ar I at 696.5 nm, and enhanced population of the Ar (1s₄) resonance level due to trapping of resonance radiation in the arc periphery are considered.     

Some properties for probabilistic and multinomial (probabilistic) values on cooperative games

We investigate the conditions for the coefficients of probabilistic and multinomial values of cooperative games necessary and/or sufficient in order to satisfy some properties, including marginal contributions, balanced contributions, desirability relation and null player exclusion property. Moreover, a similar analysis is conducted for transfer property of probabilistic power indices on the domain of simple games.     

Electron ionization mass spectra of ephedrines in a doping confirmatory procedure: a curious migration of the trimethylsilyl group in the N-acetyl-O-trimethylsilyl derivatives

Ephedrines have central nervous system stimulating properties and, for this reason, some of them are forbidden in sport by the World Antidoping Agency (WADA). They are screened and quantitated in urine by several published techniques and confirmed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). In this paper, a simple confirmation procedure for norpseudoephedrine, norephedrine, ephedrine and pseudoephedrine in human urine by GC/electron ionization (EI)-MS is described. After the addition of levallorphane as internal standard, a liquid-liquid extraction procedure under alkaline conditions with tert-butyl methyl ether was applied to the samples. The analytes were derivatized with acetic acid anhydride and N-methyl-N-trimethylsilyltrifluoroacetamide to form N-acetyl-O-trimethylsilyl derivatives. The EI mass spectra of all the studied substances have many diagnostic ions with relative abundance in accordance with WADA requirements and show great structural information content. A curious migration of the trimethylsilyl group is proposed.     

Investigations on the coupling of ethylene and alkynes in [IrTp Me2] compounds: water as an effective trapping agent

The reaction of the bis(ethylene) complex [Tp(Me(2) )Ir(C(2)H(4))(2)] (1) (Tp(Me(2) ): hydrotris(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)borate) with two equivalents of dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (DMAD) in CH(2)Cl(2) at 25 degrees C gives the hydride-alkenyl species [Tp(Me(2) )IrH{C(R)=C(R)C(R)=C(R)CH=CH(2)}] (2, R: CO(2)Me) in high yield. A careful study of this system has established the active role of a number of intermediates en route to producing 2. The first of these is the iridium(I) complex [Tp(Me(2) )Ir(C(2)H(4))(DMAD)] (4) formed by substitution of one of the ethylene ligands in 1 by a molecule of DMAD. Complex 4 reacts further with another equivalent of the alkyne to give the unsaturated metallacyclopentadiene [Tp(Me(2) )Ir{C(R)=C(R)C(R)=C(R)}], which can be trapped by added water to give adduct 7, or can react with the C(2)H(4) present in solution generating complex 2. This last step has been shown to proceed by insertion of ethylene into one of the Ir--C bonds of the metallacyclopentadiene and subsequent beta-H elimination. Complex 1 reacts sequentially with one equivalent of DMAD and one equivalent of methyl propiolate (MP) in the presence of water, with regioselective formation of the nonsymmetric iridacyclopentadiene [Tp(Me(2) )Ir{C(R)=C(R)C(H)=C(R)}(H(2)O)] (9). Complex 9 reacts with ethylene giving a hydride-alkenyl complex 10, related to 2, in which the C(2)H(4) has inserted regiospecifically into the Ir--C(R) bond that bears the CH functionality. Heating solutions of either 2 or 10 in CH(2)Cl(2) allows the formation of the allyl species 3 or 11, respectively, by simple stereoselective migration of the hydride ligand to the Calpha alkenyl carbon atom and concomitant bond reorganization of the resulting organic chain. All the compounds described herein have been characterized by microanalysis, IR and NMR spectroscopy, and for the case of 3, 7, 7CO, 8NCMe, 9, 9NCMe, and 10, also by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies.     

Highly diastereoselective nucleophilic addition to myrtenal. Straightforward synthesis of an enantiopure scorpionate ligand

The work described here represents the first example in which an efficient and highly diastereoselective nucleophilic 1,2-addition of an organolithium reagent has been performed on a carbonylic prostereogenic center to give an enantiopure scorpionate ligand in only one step.