Thermal analysis and X-ray studies of chiral ferroelectric liquid crystalline materials and their binary mixtures

Summary Thermal properties of a homologous series of ferroelectric liquid crystals S-(-)-[4-(2-n-alkoxy-propionyloxy)]biphenyl-4'-[n-alkoxy-(3,5-dimethyl)]benzoate have been investigated by polarizing optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The mesophases were identified and confirmed by X-ray too. Three binary mixtures were prepared from the individual homologues. In one of the mixtures (Mix1), the ferroelectric SmC* phase has broadened and became enantiotropic. This mesophase remained monotropic in the other two mixtures (Mix2, Mix3). The chiral nematic N* phase did not appear in Mix1, but remained monotropic for the other two mixtures. Two molecular parameters, the layer spacing and the average intermolecular distance have been calculated from the X-ray results for the homologues and their mixtures. An intercalated tail-to-tail packing of molecules was found both in the single compounds and their mixtures resulting in the layer spacing about half of the molecular length of the single compounds.     

Analytical Detectors Based on Microplasma Spectrometry

Miniaturizing all dimensions of apparatus, such as electronics and computers, is the current trend followed by scientists in various fields. The idea of Lab-on-a-Chip has significantly expanded and found its broad applications in analytical chemistry. Microplasmas can act as a sample excitation source and are the miniaturized versions of full-sized plasmas. These can be created in various forms, such as direct current, microwave induced, capacitively coupled and inductively coupled plasmas. Scaling down the size would reduce the amount of gases, liquids and consumables required, as well as the sample analysis time, which in turn would decrease the operating costs. Therefore, several research groups are involved in the development of microplasmas for utilisation in analytical instruments.     

New designs for inhibitors of the NF-κB: DNA binding

We present a series of new inhibitors of the association between nuclear factor kappa B (NF-B) and the corresponding B site in DNA. They were designed using the lead compound 15-deoxy-^12,14 -prostaglandin J₂ (PGJ2), which is a natural product with demonstrated inhibitory efficiency for this system. First, the binding mode of PGJ2 to NF-B was unraveled by GOLD docking calculation. Subsequently, substitutions were made to PGJ2 to optimize its association with NF-B. Care was taken not to strongly increase the reactivity of the new compounds, and to keep the overall shape, size and hydrophilicity of the lead compound, which should render them a similar bioavailability. Molecular mechanics calculations were performed to decide on the suitability of the substitutions, and to evaluate the energies of association with NF-B. Density functional theory calculations were performed also to study the overall reactivity of the substituted drugs towards NF-B. Important general conclusions were obtained, concerning the improvement of these natural inhibitors; namely, a set of rational methodologies were deduced to improve the association between the PGJ2 derivatives and NF-B, and their efficiency demonstrated by generating a set of substituted complexes, some of them with a very much increased affinity for NF-B, opening new doors to enlarge the therapeutic capabilities of this class of drugs.     

Comparison of quantitative methods for analysis of polyphasic pharmaceuticals

Adequate very sensitive quantification methods are needed for the development and are also now required for the monitoring of undesirable solid form(s) as routine tests. The pre-requisite for quantitation are selectivity, sensitivity and most important the purity of standards and their proper storage, what is a challenge for metastable forms. Several analytical techniques are available such as X-ray diffraction, spectroscopy, thermal analysis and microcalorimetry. The different steps of the validation of the analytical methods and problems to be solved are discussed. Examples illustrate the different techniques and compare their possible advantages and limits. The relative standard deviation of measurements should allow for checking the homogenization procedure of mixtures for calibration. The validation should be carried out following ICH guidelines for validation of analytical methods. Comparison of different techniques in adequate concentration range add confidence in the analytical results.     

Temperature influence on hydrogen sorption in palladium limited-volume electrodes (Pd-LVE)

The effect of temperature on hydrogen and deuterium electrosorption into a palladium LVE (limited-volume electrode) has been investigated. A decrease in hydrogen capacity (H/Pd ratio) with increasing temperature has been observed. Temperature strongly influences the plots of measured H(D)/Pd values vs. potential scan rate. In addition, hydrogen absorption was found to be dependent on the composition of the surrounding electrolyte solution. These results have confirmed the hypothesis that two different mechanisms of hydrogen desorption from the palladium electrode take place, namely electrochemical oxidation and non-electrochemical recombination. Further, the ratio between the rate constants for these two processes has been found to change with temperature. Electronic Publication     

Kinetics of thermal decomposition of alkaline phosphates

Summary The thermal behavior of KH₂PO₄, NaH₂PO₄ and Na₂HPO₄ under non-isothermal conditions using TG method with different heating rates was studied. The values of the reaction rate were processed by means of Friedmans differential-isoconversional method. A dependence of the activation energy vs. conversion was observed. Therefore a procedure based on the compensation effect (suggested by Budrugeac and Segal) was applied. A less speculative data processing protocol was offered by the non-parametric kinetics method suggested by Serra, Nomen and Sempere. Three steps were observed by non-isothermal heating: a dehydration, a dimerization and a polycondensation. The differences in the intimate reaction mechanism are determined by the initial number of water molecules.     

Interaction of gas phase atomic hydrogen with Pt(111):Direct evidence for the formation of bulk hydrogen species

Employing hot tungsten filament to thermal dissociate molecular hydrogen,we generated gas phase atomic hydrogen under ultra-high vacuum(UHV)conditions and investigated its interaction with Pt(111) surface.Thermal desorption spectroscopy(TDS)results demonstrate that adsorption of molecular hy- drogen on Pt(111)forms surface Had species whereas adsorption of atomic hydrogen forms not only surface Had species but also bulk Had species.Bulk Had species is more thermal-unstable than surface Had species on Pt(111),suggesting that bulk Had species is more energetic.This kind of weakly- adsorbed bulk Had species might be the active hydrogen species in the Pt-catalyzed hydrogenation reactions.     

An Easy One-Pot Procedure for the Synthesis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-Sulfonyl Phosphorous Ylides and Sulfonyl Iminophosphoranes

Summary. Reaction of triphenylphosphine and an electron deficient acetylenic ester in the presence of strong N–H acid such as alkyl and aryl sulfamides or acetamide produces phosphorous ylides at room temperature in CH₂Cl₂. The aryl sulfamide phosphoranes undergo a smooth transformation reaction in boiling toluene and produce iminophosphoranes.