Direct determination of benzylnitriles using the cyanide ion selective electrode

The response characteristics of the solid state cyanide ion selective electrode towards some benzylnitriles are investigated. In 10M KOH solution, the electrode exhibits nearly Nernstian response over the concentration range of 10^–2 to 10^–4 M of various substituted benzylnitriles with an anionic slope of 53–59 mV/concentration decade. The response time varies from 10 to 20 min depending on both the nature of the substituent group and the concentration of the nitrile compound. Direct potentiometric measurement of some nitrile compounds at the concentration level of 0.01 to 1 mg/ml shows an average recovery of 98.2% and a mean standard deviation of 2.3%. Many nitrogen functional groups do not interfere.     

Rapid solidification processing in molten salts chemistry: X-ray analysis of deeply undercooled cryolite-alumina melts

Rapid solidification processing (cooling rate from the interval 10⁵–10⁶ K s⁻¹) was used to prepare deeply undercooled cryolite-alumina melts. Such prepared samples were analyzed by the XRD method. Besides cryolite, XRD patterns belonging to ι-Al₂O₃ were recorded. The influence of annealing on the XRD patterns of deeply undercooled melts was also investigated.     

About the Importance of Nanometer-Thick Intergranular Penetration in the Analysis of Liquid Metal Embrittlement

Liquid metal embrittlement (LME) of copper by liquid bismuth is investigated at 300°C. It is shown that a very rapid damage is due to the synergy between the external stress and the phenomenon of intergranular penetration (IGP). Tests of IGP, i.e. without external stress, were done at 300°C and at 600°C and have resulted in strong intergranular embrittlement due to the formation of nanometer-thick intergranular films, as measured and quantified by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). The formation of these films is discussed with respect to apparently non-zero dihedral angles at 600°C. A general procedure based on mechanical testing and AES measurements, to check whether IGP has occurred or not, is outlined. This procedure can be seen as an alternative way to determine the wetting transition temperature. The presence of nanometer-thick films due to IGP is discussed with respect to the LME mechanisms.     

Nanotubes Made from Deeply Undercooled Cryolite/Alumina Melts

The rapid‐solidification processing (by a cooling rate of 10⁵–10⁶ K/s) was used for the preparation of deeply undercooled cryolite/alumina (Na₃AlF₆/Al₂O₃) melts. We found a mass of nanotubes on the surface of these undercooled melts. The nanotubes were preferentially located on the defect places of the surface with the following approximate dimensions: base≈100×100 nm, length≈1000 nm. The solidified samples with the nanotubes on the surface were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and infrared spectroscopy (IR).     

Parameter Determination for Reductive Dechlorination of Chlorinated Solvents

The contamination of subsurface due to the chlorinated solvents such as tetrachlorethylene (PCE) and trichlorethylene (TCE) is one of the most difficult environmental problems to treat. Bioremediation has been shown by many researchers to be a remedial alternative for this type of contamination. Chlorinated solvents are not directly mineralized but rather are transformed by microorganisms into one or more intermediate compounds before converting into a final compound. These sequential reactions, termed “reductive dehalogenation”, consist of replacing a chlorine atom by a hydrogen atom. The pathway of degradation of PCE can be expressed by the following scheme PCE → TCE → DCE → VC → ETH, where dichloroethene (DCE), vinyl chloride (VC) and finally ETH is ethylene. Since the biotransformation rate coefficients of each intermediate compound are different, they have to be determined very precisely to establish an effective treatment operation. The sequential decay can be described by Michaelis–Menten’s kinetics, which constitutes a highly nonlinear system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs). This is very sensitive to the changes of biotransformation rate coefficients. In this study we introduce a methodology how to numerically estimate the rate coefficients for Michaelis–Menten’s equations from the knowledge of the concentrations of PCE, TCE, DCE, VC and ETH. The efficiency of the proposed method is demonstrated on some examples. Estimated biotransformation coefficients are employed to predict the concentrations of chlorinated solvents. Computations and measurements show a very good agreement.     

Determination of the specific heat using laser flash apparatus

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The main aim of this article was to describe the methodology for the measurement of specific heat using the laser flash apparatus. The obtained values...     

A substrate-free activity-based protein profiling screen for the discovery of selective PREPL inhibitors

Peptidases play vital roles in physiology through the biosynthesis, degradation, and regulation of peptides. Prolyl endopeptidase-like (PREPL) is a newly described member of the prolyl peptidase family, with significant homology to mammalian prolyl endopeptidase and the bacterial peptidase oligopeptidase B. The biochemistry and biology of PREPL are of fundamental interest due to this enzyme's homology to the biomedically important prolyl peptidases and its localization in the central nervous system. Furthermore, genetic studies of patients suffering from hypotonia-cystinuria syndrome (HCS) have revealed a deletion of a portion of the genome that includes the PREPL gene. HCS symptoms thought to be caused by lack of PREPL include neuromuscular and mild cognitive deficits. A number of complementary approaches, ranging from biochemistry to genetics, will be required to understand the biochemical, cellular, physiological, and pathological mechanisms regulated by PREPL. We are particularly interested in investigating physiological substrates and pathways controlled by PREPL. Here, we use a fluorescence polarization activity-based protein profiling (fluopol-ABPP) assay to discover selective small-molecule inhibitors of PREPL. Fluopol-ABPP is a substrate-free approach that is ideally suited for studying serine hydrolases for which no substrates are known, such as PREPL. After screening over 300,000 compounds using fluopol-ABPP, we employed a number of secondary assays to confirm assay hits and characterize a group of 3-oxo-1-phenyl-2,3,5,6,7,8-hexahydroisoquinoline-4-carbonitrile and 1-alkyl-3-oxo-3,5,6,7-tetrahydro-2H-cyclopenta[c]pyridine-4-carbonitrile PREPL inhibitors that are able to block PREPL activity in cells. Moreover, when administered to mice, 1-isobutyl-3-oxo-3,5,6,7-tetrahydro-2H-cyclopenta[c]pyridine-4-carbonitrile distributes to the brain, indicating that it may be useful for in vivo studies. The application of fluopol-ABPP has led to the first reported PREPL inhibitors, and these inhibitors will be of great value in studying the biochemistry of PREPL and in eventually understanding the link between PREPL and HCS.