Identification of odor signature chemicals in cocaine using solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography and detector-dog response to isolated compounds spiked on U.S. paper currency

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) combined with gas chromatography (GC) is optimized and applied to the analysis of street-cocaine samples followed by the field-testing of isolated chemicals using certified detector dogs. SPME proves to be a very sensitive and rapid method for isolating odor chemicals from street-cocaine samples. SPME-GC and activated charcoal strip (ACS)-SPME-GC signature profile methods are developed for the detection and quantitation of cocaine-odor chemicals, including the optimization of controllable variables such as fiber chemistry, extraction time, and desorption time. The volatile odor chemicals in representative illicit cocaine samples are identified and quantitated by the ACS-SPME-GC signature profile method and direct injection. Field tests with drug detector dogs show methyl benzoate to be the dominant signature odor chemical along with cocaine on U.S. currency at a threshold level of approximately 1-10 microg when spiked or when 10 ng/s methyl benzoate is diffused from polymer bottles, which is required in order to initiate an alert. No other substance studied initiated consistent responses by the drug dogs. The results indicate that the microgram levels of cocaine that have been reported on circulated U.S. currency are insufficient to signal an alert from law-enforcement trained drug detector dogs.     

A novel photoaddition of 2-phenylbenzimidazole

Irradiation of 2-phenylbenzimidazole ( 3 ) in the presence of methyl acrylate (20 equivalents) using a medium pressure mercury lamp gives methyl 2-(2-phenylbenzimidazol-1-yl)propionate ( 4 ) (75%) whose structure has been confirmed by an X-ray analysis. A similar reaction using acrylonitrile gave only a low yield (1%) of the corresponding propionitrile derivative 5 . A mechanism involving photoexcitation of 2-phenylbenzimidazole ( 3 ) followed by sequential single electron transfer, proton transfer and radical coupling is proposed to account for the formation of the novel photoadducts 4 and 5 .     

Scratch and Abrasion Resistant Coatings on Plastic Lenses—State of the Art,Current Developments and Perspectives

The manufacturing of ophthalmic lenses is one of the most important markets worldwide and, therefore, strong research efforts are undertaken to continuously improve the quality of the products, either silicate glasses or organic polymer lenses. Hybrid sol-gel based materials play a major role in this highly competitive field and have contributed significantly to the commercial success of the organic base materials. Recent developments concern fast curing and patternable coatings that might soon become part of this business. The compatibility of hybrid sol-gel materials either with organic dyes or with inorganic vacuum borne coatings offers further possibilities to develop highly sophisticated lenses meeting not only customer needs like perfect corrective function, high optical quality and protection, but also high durability as well as cosmetic and decorative aspects. An overview and a few recent developments are outlined below.     

Functionalizable polycyclic aromatics through oxidative cyclization of pendant thiophenes

We present a general strategy for obtaining large sulfur-containing polycyclic aromatics from thienyl precursors through iron(III) chloride mediated oxidative cyclizations. By placing thienyl moieties in close proximity to adjacent arenes, we have directed the oxidized intermediates into controlled cyclization pathways, effectively suppressing polymer formation. Utilizing these cyclized compounds and their thienyl precursors, we have studied cyclization/polymerization pathways of polymers such as poly(2). The unsubstituted positions alpha to the sulfur atoms within these aromatic cores allowed for efficient halogenation and further functionalization. As a demonstration, we prepared a series of arylene-ethynylene polymers with varying degrees of chromophore aromatization and used them to probe the effects of synthetically imposed rigidity on polymer photophysical behavior. The symmetries and effective conjugation pathways within the monomers play a key role in determining photophysical properties. We observed that rigid, aromatized chromophores generally led to increased excited-state lifetimes by decreasing radiative rates of fluorescence decay.     

Thermal effects of contamination,adsorbed water and annealing on the DTA of powdered quartz

During the grinding of quartz, water is adsorbed from the atmosphere, but this water gave no detectable thermal effect on DTA because it was evolved uniformly up to 1000°. However, in conjunction with an iron contaminant, the adsorbed water was involved in an oxidation reaction causing noticeable thermal effects for quartz powdered in a vibration mill constructed of steel parts. When powdered so finely that the - inversion peak at 573° had disappeared, annealing caused a partial redevelopment of the peak but recrystallization of disrupted quartz was too small an effect to give any detectable exothermic peak on DTA.

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Zusammenfassung Während des Vermahlens von Quartz wird Wasser aus der Atmosphäre adsorbiert, jedoch ergab dieses Wasser keinen nachweisbaren thermischen Effekt in der DTA, da es bis zu 1000° gleichmässig freigesetzt wird. Im Zusammenhang mit einer Eisen-Verunreinigung wurde jedoch das adsorbierte Wasser in eine Oxidationsreaktion einbezogen, welche beim in einer aus Stahlteilen gefertigten Vibrationsmühle zerpulvertem Quartz nachweisbare thermische Effekte verursachten. Wenn so fein pulverisiert wurde, daß der --Inversions-Peak bei 573° verschwunden war, verursachte eine Wärmebehandlung eine teilweise Wiederentwicklung des Peaks, jedoch war die Rekristallisation des zerstörten Quartzes zu geringfügig um einen nachweisbaren exothermen Peak in der DTA-Kurve zu ergeben.

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Résumé Lors du broyage du quartz, il se produit une adsorption de l'eau atmosphérique mais cette eau ne donne pas d'effet thermique décelable par ATD car elle se dégage régulièrement jusqu'à 1000°. Cependant, en présence de fer comme contaminant, l'eau adsorbée intervient dans une réaction d'oxydation qui donne des effets thermiques perceptibles dans le cas de quartz pulvérisé dans un vibrobroyeur en acier. Si le quartz est en poudre assez fine pour que le pic d'inversion - à 573° disparaisse, le recuit provoque la réapparition partielle du pic. La recristallisation du quartz est cependant trop faible pour donner un effet exothermique décelable par ATD.

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, , 1000°. , , . - 573° , , , - .

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We are grateful to the Science Research Council for supporting this work.     

Counterion Exchange Selectivity in Detergent–Polymer Aggregates

In aqueous solution, the interaction between sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) results in the formation of small aggregates or clusters of SDS attached to the PEG polymer chain. Selectivity coefficients for exchange of two monovalent (N-methyl-4-cyanopyridinium cation and Tl⁺) and two divalent (methylviologen cation and Cu²⁺) counterions at the surface of SDS–PEG clusters, determined employing photophysical techniques, are similar, but not identical, to those for exchange at the surface of SDS micelles in the absence of PEG. The principal factor affecting ion exchange selectivity in SDS–PEG clusters does not appear to be aggregate size or surface charge density but rather the presence of poly(oxyethylene) subunits at the aggregate surface.