Determination of oxidized and reduced glutathione, by capillary zone electrophoresis, in Brassica juncea plants treated with copper and cadmium

A rapid method of capillary zone electrophoresis is described to determine the oxidized (GSSG) and reduced (GSH) form of glutathione in plant tissue. In order to separate both analytes in a fused-silica capillary, the pH and composition of the electrolyte solution were optimized. The electrolyte composition was 100 mmol/L, borate 25 mmol/L Tris, and 0.2% w/v metaphosphoric acid (MPA), pH 8.2. Some instrumental conditions used to run the samples were hydrostatic injection for 30 s, 30 kV applied voltage, and UV detection (185 nm) at 25 degrees C. Linearity and useful range obtained for the calibration curves were optimum, with correlation coefficients about 0.999 in the 0-120 micromol/L range. The migration time was highly reproducible, less than 5 min being afforded to run a sample. Electrolyte buffer and samples required a careful pH control for optimal separation of both analytes. This aspect constitutes a critical analytical step when acids are used in the procedure for sample preparation. Simultaneous analysis of GSH and GSSG may provide a useful tool for comparative studies of plants in order to select those species with a potential capacity for detoxification from toxic elements or those appearing promising from phytoremediation for these elements.     

Efficient synthesis in three steps and spectral determination of methyl‐5‐[(o‐, m‐, and p‐substituted‐phenylthio]‐2‐benzimidazolecarbamates

The preparation and spectral properties often novel methyl 5‐[(o‐, m‐, and p‐substituted)‐phenylthio]‐2‐benzimidazolecarbamates with possible pharmacological activity as antihelmintics is described; by condensation and cyclization between 5‐methylthioures sulfate chloroformic acid methyl ester and 3,4‐diaminophenyl‐substituted‐phenylthio ether dissolved in ethanol. The structures of all final products were corroborated by ir; ¹H‐nmr, ¹³C‐nmr and ms.     

Kinetics of the Thermal and Thermo‐Oxidative Degradation of a Polystyrene–Clay Nanocomposite

Summary: Thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry have been used to study the thermal and thermo‐oxidative degradation of polystyrene (PS) and a PS–clay nanocomposite. An advanced isoconversional method has been applied for kinetic analysis. Introduction of the clay phase increases the activation energy and affects the total heat of degradation, which suggests a change in the reaction mechanism. The obtained kinetic data permit a comparative assessment of the fire resistance of the studied materials.

The change in activation energy for the degradation of PS and the PS–clay nanocomposite with the extent of polymer conversion.     

Implementation of an integrated glucose POCT system

In response to a change of the Belgian National Directives whereby hospital laboratories became responsible for all point-of-care testing (POCT) performed within hospital walls a standardized and automated POC glucose-testing system was implemented in our hospital. The system consists of 50 AccuCheck Inform instruments (Roche Diagnostics, Vilvoorde, Belgium), 50 docking stations, a DataCare Server, and connections to the medical laboratory information system (MOLIS, Sysmex, Barchon, Belgium) and to the hospital information system. Implementation involved many parties and extensive preparation and communication. Key issues were bar-coded patient and user identification, training, and responsibilities. One year after the hospital wide implementation of this system the quality of POC glucose testing has significantly increased, thereby improving patient safety. This study describes a stepwise change over involving the medical laboratory and with a focus on hands-on quality.Presented at the ninth conference on Quality in the Spotlight, 18–19 March 2004, Antwerp, Belgium.     

Spectroscopic Studies on the Interaction of Tetramethylpyridylporphyrins and Cationic Clays

In the present work, the interaction between5,10,15,20-tetrakis(1-methyl-4-pyridyl)-21H,23H-porphine (TMPyP) and its metallated form(CoTMPyP) with three cationic clays was investigatedby X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-VIS and resonance Ramanspectroscopies. Sodium montmorillonites K10 and KSFand a synthetic fluorohectorite (FHT) containingdifferent macrocycle loadings, were prepared by an ionexchange reaction. In nonsaturated KSF and FHT, theCoTMPyP molecule assumes a flat orientation, relativeto the host layers, giving rise to at least twoabsorption bands in the Soret region (ca. 445 and 465 nm)assigned to adsorbed and intercalated CoTMPyP,respectively. For the delaminated K10 sample, a broadband centered around 456 nm, indicates a majorcontribution from the metalloporphyrin on the clayexternal surfaces. The electronic spectra of FHTsamples containing increasing amounts of CoTMPyPshow bands red shifted even when a small amount ofporphyrin is used, suggesting that the electroniclevels of the macrocycle are more affected by theinteraction with the clay than by the metalloporphyrindistortion inside the galleries. The resonance Ramanspectra obtained for all CoTMPyP samples presentedonly minor shifts in peak positions and band width,with the exception of the FHT saturated sample, wherethe bands are clearly broader when compared to otherloadings, suggesting that porphyrin aggregation isoccurring. In the case of TMPyP, the bands at ca. 430and 468 nm were assigned to nonprotonated andprotonated molecules, respectively. This assignment issupported by resonance Raman spectroscopy, which alsoshowed the ₂ mode (ca. 1550 cm^-1) to bethe most sensitive peak to protonation.     

A Flexible Pro‐porous Coordination Polymer: Non‐conventional Synthesis and Separation Properties Towards CO2/CH4 Mixtures

The novel coordination polymers [Cu(Hoxonic)(H₂O)]_n ( 1 ) and [Cu(Hoxonic)(bpy)_0.5]_n ? 1.5 n H₂O ( 2?H₂O ) (H₃oxonic: 4,6‐dihydroxy‐1,3,5‐triazine‐2‐carboxylic acid; bpy: 4,4′‐bipyridine) have been isolated and structurally characterised by ab initio X‐ray powder diffraction. The dense phase 1 contains 1D zig‐zag chains in which Hoxonic dianions bridge square‐pyramidal copper(II) ions, apically coordinated by water molecules. On the contrary, 2?H₂O , prepared by solution and solventless methods, is based on 2D layers of octahedral copper(II) ions bridged by Hoxonic ligands, further pillared by bpy spacers. The resulting pro‐porous 3D network possesses small hydrated cavities. The reactivity, thermal, magnetic and adsorptive properties of these materials have been investigated. Notably, the adsorption studies on 2 show that this material possesses unusual adsorption behaviour. Indeed, guest uptake is facilitated by increasing the thermal energy of both the guest and the framework. Thus, neither N₂ at 77 K nor CO₂ at 195 K are incorporated, and CH₄ is only minimally adsorbed at 273 K and high pressures (0.5 mmol g^?1 at 2500 kPa). By contrast, CO₂ is readily incorporated at 273 K (up to 2.5 mmol g^?1 at 2500 kPa). The selectivity of 2 towards CO₂ over CH₄ has been investigated by means of variable‐temperature zero coverage adsorption experiments and measurement of breakthrough curves of CO₂/CH₄ mixtures. The results show the highly selective incorporation of CO₂ in 2 , which can be rationalised on the basis of the framework flexibility and polar nature of its voids.     

Interpretation of vicinal proton–proton coupling constants of heteroaromatic molecules in terms of topological electron density descriptors

The indirect vicinal proton–proton coupling constants for pyrrole, furan, thiophene and 15 related heteroaromatic compounds were calculated using the Khon–Sham approximation. An analysis of the four Ramsey contributions to the coupling constants was carried out showing that the Fermi contact term is always positive and dominant, although the remaining contributions have a nonnegligible net negative contribution. The trends observed for the proton–proton coupling constants were rationalized in terms of the properties of the electron density. It was found that electron delocalization between the corresponding hydrogen atoms plays a major role on the observed behavior with the charges of the carbon atoms bonded to them and the accompanying geometric variations being also of importance in the coupling mechanism. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Aggregation of fluorine-substituted pyridines

The influence of fluorine substituents on the crystallisation behaviour of pyridine was investigated by crystal structure determinations. The low melting compounds 2-fluoropyridine, 2,6-difluoropyridine and 2,4,6-trifluoropyridine were crystallised by in situ crystallisation directly on the single crystal X-ray diffractometer.