Characteristics of millimeter wave detection in a Fabry-Perot resonator using a YBCO-BiO composite superconductor

A quasioptical technique with a hemispherical-type Fabry-Perot resonator for measuring characteristics of millimeter wave detection using a YBCO-BiO composite superconductor has been successfully developed. This Fabry-Perot resonator consists of a spherical mirror and a plane mirror mounted on the cold head of the refrigerator, under a controlled temperature of 40 to 300 K. The method offers the advantages of estimating irradiation power, easily controlling the sample temperature, analyzing the mode of the irradiated millimeter waves and easily extending to higher frequencies. The superconducting millimeter wave detector has been measured with this technique, with measured sensitivities of 46.5 V/W (70 K) to 160 V/W (35 K) at 50 GHz. These results are close to the theoretical values calculated numerically from the characteristics of the detector. It was confirmed that the millimeter wave detection system using the Fabry-Perot resonator is suitable for estimating the sensitivity of the high-Tc superconducting millimeter wave detector.     

Structural, CV and IR spectroscopic evidences for preorientation in PET-active phthalimido carboxylic acids

Hydrogen bond and potassium cation mediated preorientation were detected for phthalimido acetic acid and the corresponding acetate. Evidence for these phenomena came from X-ray structure analysis as well as cyclic voltammetric and IR spectroscopic measurements. These interactions rationalize the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) reactivity of the substrates in photodecarboxylation reactions.     

Inspiration from Old Dyes: Tris(stilbene) Compounds as Potent Gram‐Positive Antibacterial Agents

Herein we describe the preparation and structure‐activity relationship studies on range of stilbene based compounds and their antibacterial activity. Two related compounds, each bearing carboxylic acid moieties, exhibit good activity against several bacterial strains, including methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus MRSA (ATCC 33592 and NCTC 10442). Compound 10 was most active against Moraxella catarrhalis with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 0.12–0.25 μg mL^?1 and against Staphylococcus spp. with MICs ranging from 2–4 μg mL^?1. The derivative 17 showed increased activity with MICs of 0.06–0.25 μg mL^?1 against M. catarrhalis and 0.12–1 against Staphylococcus spp. This level of activity is similar to that reported for S. aureus for antibiotics, such as vancomycin, with MICs of ≤2.0 μg mL^?1 and clindamycin with MICs of ≤0.5 μg mL^?1. As an indicator of toxicity, 17 was tested for its ability to lyse sheep erythrocytes, and showed low haemolytic activity. Such results highlight the value of tris(stilbene) compounds as antibacterial agents providing suitable properties for further development.     

Highly Stable trans‐Cyclooctene Amino Acids for Live‐Cell Labeling

trans‐Cyclooctene groups incorporated into proteins via non‐canonical amino acids (ncAAs) are emerging as specific handles for bioorthogonal chemistry. Here, we present a highly improved synthetic access to the axially and the equatorially linked trans‐cyclooct‐2‐ene isomers ( 1 a , b ). We further show that the axially connected isomer has a half‐life about 10 times higher than the equatorial isomer and reacts with tetrazines much faster, as determined by stopped‐flow experiments. The improved properties resulted in different labeling performance of the insulin receptor on the surface of intact cells.     

Determination of bisphenol A in milk by solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

A simple and reliable analytical method based on solid phase extraction (SPE) and liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry was developed for the determination of bisphenol A (BPA) in milk. The effects of the experimental parameters of the LC-ESI-MS system (mobile phase and additives, flow rate, temperature of the ionization source, cone voltage and capillary potential) on the obtained signal were assessed and the parameters were optimized to provide maximum sensitivity and detectability. In addition, the performance of three commercial SPE sorbents (C18, PS-DVB and hydroxylated PS-DVB) was evaluated using spiked water and milk, diluted with a mixture of water-methanol (8:1). By using C18 cartridges and BPA-d(16) as internal standard, the mean relative recoveries at three fortification levels ranged between 97 and 104% and the corresponding inter-day precision (RSD%) was below 6% for 50 and 500 ng/g and below 20% for 5 ng/g fortification levels. It is shown that the ion suppression during ESI, the losses from the sample preparation procedure and the inter-day instability of LC-ESI-MS were overcome by the use of the deuterated internal standard. The concentration of BPA found in commercial canned milk samples ranged from <1.7 to 15.2 ng/g.     

Formation of ionic bonds between a fatty-acid Langmuir-Blodgett monolayer and a zinc oxide substrate

A fatty-acid Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) monolayer ionically adsorbed to the substrate has been prepared by adopting ZnO-based conductor and pure water respectively as the substrate and subphase. Ionization of the fatty-acid molecules has been detected by infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (IR-RAS), which is enabled by the condensed free electrons in the doped ZnO substrate. On the contrary, IR-RAS measurements have indicated that fatty-acid molecules transferred onto Au and indium-tin-oxide substrates from a pure-water surface are not ionized. In addition, it has been demonstrated that these ionically bonded fatty-acid monolayers protect the ZnO transparent electrode from chemical attack by NH(3) gas. Since the LB technique is a simple method applicable to a wide variety of materials, the present results may lead to a new way of obtaining functional organic-inorganic nanosystems.     

Thermodynamics of the Interaction of a Homologous Series of Amino Acids with Sorbitol

The apparent molar volumes V _2,φ , apparent molar isentropic compressibilities K _S,2,φ , and enthalpies of dilution of aqueous glycine, alanine, α-amino butyric acid, valine, and leucine have been determined in aqueous 1.0 and 2.0 mol⋅dm⁻³ sorbitol solutions at 298.15 K. These data have been used to calculate the infinite dilution standard partial molar volumes V_2,m⁰V_{2,m}^{0}, partial molar isentropic compressibilities K_S,2,m⁰K_{S,2,m}^{0}, and enthalpies of dilution Δ_dil H ⁰ of the amino acids in aqueous sorbitol, along with the standard partial molar quantities of transfer of the amino acids from water to aqueous sorbitol. The linear correlation of V_2,m⁰V_{2,m}^{0} for this homologous series of amino acids has been utilized to calculate the contribution to V₂⁰V_{2}^{0} of the charged end groups (NH₃⁺\mathrm{NH}_{3}^{+}, COO⁻), the CH₂ group, and other alkyl chains of the amino acids. The results for the standard partial molar volumes of transfer, compressibilites and enthalpies of dilution from water to aqueous sorbitol solutions have been correlated and interpreted in terms of ion–polar, ion–hydrophobic, and hydrophobic–hydrophobic group interactions. A comparison of these thermodynamic properties of transfer suggest that an enhancement of the hydrophilic/polar group interactions is operating in ternary systems of amino acid, sorbitol, and water.     

Enhancing Magnetic Communication between Metal Centres: The Role of s-Tetrazine Based Radicals as Ligands

Although 1,2,4,5-tetrazines or s-tetrazines have been known in the literature for more than a century, their coordination chemistry has become increasingly popular in recent years due to their unique redox activity, multiple binding sites and their various applications. The electron-poor character of the ring and stabilization of the radical anion through all four nitrogen atoms in their metal complexes provide new aspects in molecular magnetism towards the synthesis of new high performing Single Molecule Magnets (SMMs). The scope of this review is to examine the role of s-tetrazine radical ligands in transition metal and lanthanide based SMMs and provide a critical overview of the progress thus far in this field. As well, general synthetic routes and new insights for the preparation of s-tetrazines are discussed, along with their redox activity and applications in various fields. Concluding remarks along with the limitations and perspectives of these ligands are discussed.     

Reversible voltammetric response for a molecule containing four non-equivalent redox sites with application to cytochrome c3 of Desulfovibrio vulgaris, strain Miyazaki

The cyclic voltammetric and differential pulse polarographic behavior of cytochrome c₃ of Desulfovibrio vulgaris, strain Miyazaki, has been evaluated in terms of a model employing four reversible redox centers. Both types of experiments can be fit by digital simulations using the four standard potentials: E₁⁰=?0.467, E₂⁰=?0.519, E₃⁰=?0.539 and E₄⁰=?0.580 V vs. SCE. The results are interpreted to mean that the four redox centers are chemically different and only weakly interacting. The relationships between the observed macroscopic standard potentials and the microscopic standard potentials for reduction of individual sites are discussed.