Control of the Properties of Carbon Nanotubes Synthesized by CVD for Application in Electrochemical Biosensors

Interest in carbon nanotubes (CNT) has grown at a very rapid rate in the last decade. Their interesting physical and chemical properties open attractive possibilities in many application areas. These properties depend on the process conditions during synthesis and on subsequent purification steps. Recent studies have demonstrated that CNT can promote the electron transfer of biomolecules. These exceptional properties make them attractive for use in electrochemical biosensors. Multi walled nanotubes have been synthesized by the Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) method using methane as a carbon source and Ni–Al₂O₃–SiO₂ as the catalyst. The influence of the variation of certain reaction parameters such as feed gas composition, catalyst mass, temperature and reaction time in the yield of the CVD process has been established. In addition, the structural and chemical characteristics of the CNTs have been studied and a purification process to eliminate the catalyst and amorphous carbon has been developed that involves a gaseous oxidative process and acid treatment. The efficiency of the purification step has been determined by analytical techniques. Atomic force microscopy, Raman scattering, thermogravimetric analysis, inductively coupled plasma atomic spectroscopy are the characterization techniques employed in this work.     

Metal complexes of phytohormones. Part II. Copper(II) complexes of 6-benzylaminopurine

Summary Copper(II) complexes with 6-benzylaminopurine (BAPH) of the types Cu(BAPH)₂(ClO₄)₂·2H₂O (1) Cu(BAP)₂·4H₂O (2), and Cu(BAPH₂)Cl₃·MeOH (3), have been synthesized and characterized by conductivity, magnetic measurements, i.r., electronic and e.s.r. spectroscopy.     

Separation and analysis of the major constituents of cloves by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

A micellar electrokinetic chromatographic method was developed and applied for the first time to the separation and quantification of the main components of cloves, namely eugenol and beta-caryophyllene. The analytes were separated in less than ten minutes in an unmodified fused silica capillary (effective length: 40.0 cm) using a background electrolyte composed of 25 mM carbonate buffer (pH 10.0) and 60 mM sodium dodecylsulfate. Analyte concentrations were determined in clove oil and in methanolic clove extracts after simple sequential dilution with methanol and background electrolyte, and the resulting electropherograms showed no interference due to other components. Precision assays gave satisfactory results, with mean standard deviation of peak areas lower than 4.7% (lower than 1.5% for migration times). The eugenol content of a commercial clove oil was about 70% (RSD% = 3.2), while that of beta-caryophyllene was about 15% (RSD% = 4.2); in clove extracts, on the other hand, eugenol was approximately 15% (RSD% = 4.7) and beta-caryophyllene 4% (RSD% = 5.1). Accuracy was also good (mean recovery >98%).     

On the role of symmetry in the ab initio hartree-fock linear-combination-of-atomic-orbitals treatment of periodic systems

The symmetry properties of the mono- and bielectronic terms contributing to the Fock matrix in the ab initio Hartree–Fock treatment of periodic systems are discussed. A computational scheme which takes full advantage of the point symmetry is presented; in this respect, it represents a generalization of the scheme proposed in Int. J. Quantum Chem. 17 , 501 (1980). Computational details and numerical examples are reported; it is shown that with respect to two of the bottlenecks of this kind of calculation, namely, computer time and backing storage required for the bielectronic integrals, it is possible to obtain saving factors as large as h and h², respectively, where h is the order of the point group. Preliminary tests are reported which indicate that the study of relatively complicated systems, like quartz or corundum (9 and 10 atoms in the unit cell, respectively) at an ab initio Hartree–Fock level is now within reach.     

Carbamoylation of B6 vitamins

The reaction of B₆ vitamins 1–3 with cyanate, in the presence of equivalent amounts of hydrochloric acid, yields different adducts according to the structure of the starting material. Regiospecific attack on the amino group or the phenolic hydroxy group was found for 2a,b and 3a,b , respectively. From the aldehydes 1a,b , the 2H-pyrido[3,4-e]-1,3-oxazin-2-ones 7a,b were obtained through an attack on both the phenolic and aldehyde group.     

A polarizable continuum model for molecules at diffuse interfaces

In this work we illustrate an extension of the polarizable continuum model to describe solvation effects on molecules at the interface between two fluid phases (liquid/liquid, liquid/vapor). This extension goes beyond the naive picture of the interface as a plane dividing two distinct dielectrics, commonly employed in continuum models. The main feature of the model is the use of a diffuse interface with an electric permittivity depending on the position. This characteristic clearly allows the study of simple interfaces as well as more complex membrane or multilayer structures. Moreover the smooth variation of the permittivity in the diffuse interface, in contrast to the sharp boundary between two regions, overcomes the numerical divergences due to charges placed at the boundary. The implementation of the model relies on the integral equation formalism, which allows one to calculate the reaction field acting on a molecule immersed in a dielectric environment once the proper Green's function is known. In the present case, such a Green's function is obtained numerically, allowing a large flexibility in the choice of the dielectric permittivity profile. The applications have been selected with the aim of illustrating the capabilities of the model; its present limitations are also discussed.     

Eptastigmine,nicotinamide and nicotinic acid determination using an inhibition enzyme sensor; application to pharmaceutical analysis

An enzyme inhibition biosensor, developed in our laboratory and previously used for the analysis of compounds with anticholinesterase activity (e.g. physostigmine, neostigmine, pyridostigmine nicotine and organophosphorus compounds) has now been tested for the analysis of another recently synthesized cholinesterase inhibitor, i.e. eptastigmine. In addition nicotinic acid and nicotinamide, although displaying weaker inhibition properties, were also tested in pharmaceutical products using the same inhibition enzyme sensor. The biosensor consisted of a hydrogen peroxide amperometric electrode coupled to a functionalised nylon membrane chemically bonding both the enzymes butyrylcholinesterase and choline oxidase; a butyrylcholine standard solution in glycine buffer acted as substrate. The response of the system to all the inhibitors considered was characterised completely and the analysis of several pharmaceutical formulations containing nicotinamide or nicotinic acid was also performed.     

Neutral organic lewis acids of π type

The interaction of some neutral acids of π type, bearing appropriate unsymmetrical substitutions at the C?C group with some selected bases (H₂O, NH₃, OH^?), is compared with that of the parent compound of a new set of neutral π acids, bearing symmetrical substitutions at the C?C group with the same bases. The analyses of the interaction energy, performed according to two decomposition schemes, with and without the counterpoise corrections, make clear the similarity of symmetrically and unsymmetrically substituted neutral organic acids.     

Metal-cinnamic acids interactions. Part III. Synthesis and study of copper(II) complexes of 3, 4- and 3, 5-dimenthoxycinnamic acid

Summary Copper(II) complexes derived from substituted cinnamic acids 3, 4-dimethoxycinnamic acid (3, 4-DMCH) and 3, 5-dimethoxycinnamic acid (3, 5-DMCH), of the formula [Cu(3, 4-DMC)₂]·H₂O (1), [Cu(3, 5-DMC)₂]·H₂O (2) were prepared. The magnetic properties of the complexes suggest dimeric structures typical of copper(II) acetate monohydrate-like complexes. X-band e.s.r. spectra of polycrystalline samples at low temperature are typical of triplet state systems S=1. Their ability to catalyze the aerial oxidation of 3, 5-di-t-butylcatechol was measured spectrophotometrically at 30°C. The complexes are models for oxidases.