Assay for urinary estriol during the menstrual cycle based on extraction by a graphitized carbon black cartridge followed by high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay for estriol in nonpregnancy urine is described. After Enzymic hydrolysis, the estriol is extracted from urine by the sorbent trap technique utilizing graphitized carbon black (Carbopack B). After some washing steps, estriol is desorbed by a suitable solvent system. After solvent removal, the sample is injected into an HPLC column for estriol quantification. Analytical recovery of estriol was 96.1%. The precision of the method was 2.6 and 4.9% respectively at 145 and 10.6ng/ml of urine. The limit of sensitivity was set at 0.8 ng/ml of urine. The mean contents of estriol in the follicular and luteal phases were respectively 11.3 and 38.8 ng/ml of urine.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. A. Liberti on the occasion of his 70th birthday.     

Stable nitroxide radicals from phenylisatogen and arylimino-derivatives with organo-metallic compounds

Stable nitroxide radicals were obtained by the oxidation of 1-hydroxyindolines prepared by allowing the organo-metallic compounds to act upon 2-phenylisatogen and arylimino-derivatives. In both cases nitroxides are obtained with a ^N of approximately 9 gauss, in agreement with similar known compounds. The ESR spectra of numerous nitroxide radicals are discussed and a number of cases of magnetic non-equivalence of methylenic protons adjacent to asymmetric carbon are brought to light.     

Electroanalytical sensors for nonconducting media based on electrodes supported on perfluorinated ion-exchange membranes

Electroanalytical sensors, suitable for the analysis and monitoring of electroactive analytes present in gaseous phase or low-conductive liquid media, and based on electrodes in close contact with perfluorinated ion-exchange polymers are reviewed. The basic operative mechanism of these sensors, in which ion-exchange polymers act as solid polymer electrolytes (SPE's), is thoroughly discussed, while stressing the fundamental reasons why their behavior differs from that of conventional membrane electrodes. The procedures for preparing composite working electrodes by coating one side of ion-exchange membranes with stable porous films of conductive materials are described, along with the most common strategies followed to assemble this type of sensors. Useful examples of measurements in electrolyte-free media of inorganic and organic electroactive species of interest mainly for environmental analysis are given. Future prospects for the development of these sensors are also discussed.     

Separation of capsular polysaccharide K4 and defructosylated K4 by high-performance capillary electrophoresis

A rapid, highly sensitive and reproducible high-performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE) method (electrokinetic chromatography with sodium dodecyl sulfate) is described for the determination of the polysaccharide from the uropathogenic Escherichia coli K4 bacteria (05:K4:H4) and its defructosylated product. The two polyanions, K4 and defructosylated K4, are separated and readily determined within 30 min on an uncoated fused-silica capillary using normal polarity at 20 kV and detection at 200 nm. A linear relationship was found for the two polysaccharides over a wide range of concentrations, from approximately 30 ng (0.5 microg/microL) to 210 ng (3.5 microg/microL). The described method was used to evaluate the defructosylation process of K4 under drastic acid conditions.     

A novel general route for the preparation of enantiopure imidazolines

A novel procedure for the preparation of enantiopure 1,4-disubstituted 2-imidazolines is reported. Enantiopure beta-amino alcohols are converted into N-hydroxyethylamides, which are reacted with excess thionyl chloride, or with thionyl chloride followed by phosphorus pentachloride to yield N-chloroethylimidoyl chlorides. These intermediates are treated with amines and anilines to produce N-chloroethylamidines, which are converted into imidazolines upon workup with aqueous hydroxide. The method is simple and efficient and has been used to prepare a wide variety of enantiopure imidazolines, in a modular fashion, from readily available amino alcohols.     

Density and Volume Properties of the 2-Chloroethanol + 2-Methoxyethanol + 1,2-Dimethoxyethane Ternary Solvent System at Different Temperatures

The density of the 2-chloroethanol (CE) + 2-methoxyethanol (ME) + 1,2-dimethoxye- thane (DME) ternary mixtures has been measured at different temperatures ranging from –10 to 80^°C, and over the entire composition range. The experimental data have been used to check the validity of some relationships accounting for the dependence of the density on temperature and composition domains. Starting from the primary data, some derived quantities, such as excess molar volumes V ^E, partial molar volumes and partial excess molar volumes , have been obtained. In these mixtures, V ^E is always positive for the [CE(1) + ME(2)] binaries, while it is generally negative at all other experimental conditions, showing the greatest deviations along the binary axes corresponding to the binary subsystems in the sequence [CE(1) + DME(2)] < [CE(1) + ME(2)] < [ME(1) + DME(2)]. The results are compared and discussed to in terms of changes in molecular association and structural effects in these solvent systems.     

The relative permittivity of 1,2-ethanediol+2-methoxyethanol+water ternary mixtures

The relative permittivities for the ternary 1,2-ethanediol (component 1) + 2-methoxyethanol (2) + water (3) solvent system have been measured for 66 mixtures covering the whole mole fraction composition 0X₁/X₂/X₃ 1 range at –10, –5 and 0 °C. The experimental data were used to test some empirical relations stating the dependence of = (X₁, X₂, X₃). A comparison between the calculated and experimental data show that these equations can be usefully employed to predict values in correspondence of the experimental data gaps.     

Optoacoustic Laser Stark spectroscopy and FIR laser action on CH3Br using a waveguide CO2 laser

The optoacoustic spectrum of CH₃Br around 10 m band lines of a tunable cw waveguide CO₂ laser is investigated. Several new infrared absorptions are observed and most of the correspond ing molecular transitions are assigned. Far infra red laser action is reported by pumping with the same CO₂ laser: pump offsets are given using the Transferred Lambs dip (TLD) technique. A new FIR laser emission is obtained and assigned. An optoacoustic Laser Stark spectroscopy technique is used to investigate off resonance infrared tran sitions.     

Analysis of the Temperature and Composition Dependence of Viscosimetric Properties of 2-Butanone <Emphasis Type="Bold">+</Emphasis> 2-Butanol Solvent Mixtures

Kinematic viscosities were measured for 2-butanone + 2-butanol binary liquid mixtures with a capillary Ubbelohde routine viscometer in the temperature range from 273.15 to 353.15 K at atmospheric pressure, and covering the whole miscibility field (0x_i1). Experimental data have been correlated by means of different empirical or semiempirical relationships, such as =(T), =(x_i), and =(T, x_i). Viscosity deviations, , from ideal behavior are negative at all experimental conditions, confirming that structure breaking effects prevail in the liquids. Furthermore, the thermodynamics of viscous flow and excess Gibbs energy of activation of viscous flow, G*^E, have been calculated. As an alternative and complementary approach to such investigations, the fluidity () of this binary system has been analyzed by the modified—Batschinski theory. The results are discussed in terms of the specific molecular interactions between the mixture components.     

Spot overlapping in two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis separations: a statistical study of complex protein maps

A statistical approach able to extract the information contained in a two-dimenisional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-D PAGE) separation is here reported. The method is based on the quantitative theory of peak overlapping, a procedure previously developed by the authors and here extended to 2-D separations. The whole map is divided into many strips in order to obtain 1-D separations on which the statistic procedure is applied: the developed algorithms, on the basis of spot experimental data (intensity and spatial coordinates) permit to estimate the intrinsic number of components and to single out the specific order present in spot positions. The procedure was validated on computer-simulated maps. Its applicability to real samples was tested on maps obtained from literature sources. The following important information on protein mixtures can be extracted: (i) the number of proteins can be accurately estimated, on the basis of the spatial coordinates and intensities of spots detected in the 2-D PAGE map; (ii) the model describing distribution of interdistance between adjacent spots can be identified in both the separation dimensions; (iii) the presence of repeated interdistances in spot positions in the maps can be easily singled out: these regularities suggest specific protein modifications.