Optimizing separation conditions for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in micellar electrokinetic chromatography

We report the separation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) using 0.1% poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) in micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC). In the presence of PEO, adsorption of PAHs on the capillary wall was reduced, leading to better resolution and reproducibility. Effects of tetrapentylammonium iodide (TPAI), dextran sulfate (DS), methanol, and sodium lauryl sulfate (SDS) on the separation of PAHs were elucidated. In terms of resolution and speed, DS, compared to TPAI, is a better additive for separation of PAHs. When using 0.1% PEO solution containing 45% methanol, 50 mM SDS, and 0.02% DS, separation of 10 PAHs containing 2 to 5 benzene rings was accomplished in less than 12 min at 15 kV in a commercial CE system. The method has also been tested for separating seven PAHs with high quantum yields when excited at 325 nm using a He-Cd laser. Unfortunately, separation of the seven PAHs was not achieved and sensitivity diminished under the same conditions. To optimize sensitivity, resolution and speed, a stepwise technique in MEKC has been proposed. The seven PAHs were resolved in 35 min at 15 kV when separation was performed in 0.1% PEO solution containing 35 mM SDS, 40% methanol and 0.02% DS for 2 min, and subsequently in 0.1% PEO solution containing 20 mM SDS, 50% methanol, and 0.02% DS.     

Insertion Reactions of Carbon Disulfide into Mg‐C and Mg‐N Bonds: Syntheses and Structural Determinations of Mg(S2CY)2(THF)n(Y=NEt2, NiPr2, iPr,Ph) and BrMg(S2CZ)(THF)3(Z=Ph,iPr)

The insertion reaction of CS₂ with Mg(NR₂)₂ (R= Et, ⁱPr), MgR′₂ (R′= Et, Ph) and R″MgBr (R″= ⁱPr, Ph) respectively lead solid products, Mg(S₂CNR₂)₂(THF)_n ( 1 : R= Et, n=2; 2 : R= ⁱPr, n=1), Mg(S₂C′R)₂(THF)₂ ( 3 : ′R= Et, 4 : ′R= Ph), BrMg(S₂C″R) (THF)₃ ( 5 : ″R= ⁱPr, 6 : ″R= Ph) in which the inserted carbon disulfides act as terminal chelating ligands. These compounds were characterized with ¹H, ¹³C NMR, IR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, elemental analyses, and X‐ray crystallography.     

Performance improvement of electrochromic display devices employing micro-size precipitates of tungsten oxide

In this paper, we studied the effect of micro-size WO₃ precipitates on the electrochromic characteristics based on aging test. The electrochromic mechanism can be effectively investigated by a solid-state TaN/WO₃/ITO capacitor. The experimental results reveal that WO₃ electrochromic devices with optimized aging time of 4 days exhibit a higher optical contrast and longer retention time, which is mainly attributed to the formation of micro-size WO₃ precipitates during aging process. The performance improvement using micro-size WO₃ precipitates has the potential in future large-area window or energy efficient display applications.     

Mesogenic and optical properties of α,α′‐bis(4‐alkoxyphenylethynyl)oligothiophenes

Liquid crystalline α,α′‐bis(4‐alkoxyphenylethynyl)oligothiophenes (bi‐ and ter‐thiophene) have been synthesized and their mesogenic behaviour and optical properties investigated. They all exhibited a nematic mesophase, and compounds with long alkoxy chains also showed lamellar phases. Increasing the number of thiophene units increased both the transition temperatures and the mesophase ranges. As for their optical properties, incorporating more thiophene units results in red‐shifted absorption and emission spectra, slightly enhanced quantum efficiency, and a larger Stoke's shift. Most importantly, in terms of the absorption and emission maxima, the incorporation of one 4‐alkoxyphenylethynyl moiety was found to be equivalent to adding one thiophene ring.     

Chemical Constituents of the Roots of Phlomis betonicoides and Their Anti-Rotavirus Activity

Chemistry of Natural Compounds - Two new isobenzofuranone derivatives (1 and 2) together with six known compounds (3–8) were isolated from the roots of Phlomis betonicoides, a highly sweet...