A rapid method for the microdetermination of sulfide using N-bromosuccinimide

Summary A new, rapid, convenient and accurate method for the determination of sulfide has been developed. N-Bromosuccinimide has been used for the displacement of iodine from potassium iodide which in turn reacts with sulfide and oxidises it to sulfur. N-Bromosuccinimide can be used as a primary standard and kept for several days if refrigerated and protected from light. Sulfide in the range of 0.6 to 13 mg can be determined with an average relative standard deviation of 1.02%.

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Zusammenfassung Ein neues Verfahren zur Sulfidbestimmung wurde entwickelt. N-Bromsuccinimid(I) dient zur Freisetzung von Jod aus KJ. Sulfid wird so zu elementarem Schwefel oxydiert. I kann als Standardlösung einige Tage im Dunklen gekühlt aufbewahrt werden. 0,6 bis 13 mg Sulfid können so mit einer relativen Standardabweichung von 1,02% bestimmt werden.

     

Photoparticle production in solid state detectors used for neutron dosimetry in the presence of photons

Photon-induced neutron, proton and alpha particle production in polyethylene and CR-39 has been estimated for the photon energy range of 2–30 MeV, using our previously established methods and photonuclear cross-section data for hydrogen, carbon and oxygen. The rarer isotopes of the constituents of CR-39 and polyethylene, namely ²H, ¹³C, ¹⁷O and ¹⁸O, have been taken into account. Neutrons and protons are produced in polyethylene and CR-39 for photon energies above 2.2 MeV, the (γ, np) threshold for ²H. Photoparticles produced in these materials may need to be taken into consideration when using them for neutron dosimetry in the presence of photons in this energy range, especially when the neutron flux is several orders of magnitude less than that of the photons.     

Modification of cellulose filter paper with bimetal nanoparticles for catalytic reduction of nitroaromatics in water

Cellulose - In this research work, we present a synthesis of silver and cobalt bimetal nanoparticles stabilized by a carboxymethyl cellulose biopolymer (CMC-AgCo) and its coating on a cellulose...     

Development of agribiotechnology and biosafety regulations used to assess safety of genetically modified crops in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is on the verge of adopting genetically modified (GM) crops for commercial cultivation and consumption as feed and food. Most of the laboratories are engaged in tissue culture and molecular characterization on plants, whereas some have started living modified organism research with shortages of trained manpower, infrastructure, and funding. Nutritionally improved Golden Rice, biotech brinjal, and late blight-resistant potato are in contained trials in a greenhouse, and potato ring spot virus-resistant papaya is in the process of approval for a field trial. The government has taken some initiative in support of GM organism research, which include the formation of a Biotechnology Department in all institutes and the formation of the apex body, the National Task Force Committee on Biotechnology of Bangladesh under the chairpersonship of the Prime Minister. Biosafety policy guidelines and related aspects of biotechnology issues have been approved, and the laws are in the process of being promulgated. Being a party to the Cartagena Protocol, proper biosafety measures are regulated by the appropriate authority as stated. Although there are no laws made yet directly for biosafety of GM crops/foods, the relevant laws on agriculture, medicine, food, import, trade, environment, etc. may suffice and explain the situation.     

Uncovering molecular processes in crystal nucleation and growth by using molecular simulation

Exploring nucleation processes by molecular simulation provides a mechanistic understanding at the atomic level and also enables kinetic and thermodynamic quantities to be estimated. However, whilst the potential for modeling crystal nucleation and growth processes is immense, there are specific technical challenges to modeling. In general, rare events, such as nucleation cannot be simulated using a direct "brute force" molecular dynamics approach. The limited time and length scales that are accessible by conventional molecular dynamics simulations have inspired a number of advances to tackle problems that were considered outside the scope of molecular simulation. While general insights and features could be explored from efficient generic models, new methods paved the way to realistic crystal nucleation scenarios. The association of single ions in solvent environments, the mechanisms of motif formation, ripening reactions, and the self-organization of nanocrystals can now be investigated at the molecular level. The analysis of interactions with growth-controlling additives gives a new understanding of functionalized nanocrystals and the precipitation of composite materials.     

Organocatalytic synthesis of multiple substituted bicyclo[4.4.0]decalin system

An efficient and unprecedented organocatalytic reaction of γ-nitroketones with α,β-unsaturated aldehydes to give polyfunctionalized [4.4.0] bicyclic skeletons was developed. The diphenylprolinol silyl ether mediated nitro-Michael/Aldol reaction afforded the hexa-substituted decalin carboaldehydes with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivity (up to >99:1 dr and >99% ee) via a formal [4 + 2] carbocyclization process.     

Optical single-particle detection in nanoholes towards simple parallel detection of molecular binding events

A novel scheme for the optical detection of a few or even single gold nanoparticle labels is introduced. It utilizes sub-wavelength holes in a chromium layer on a glass substrate, where a bioaffinity reaction could take place and the outcome (regarding particle label binding) can be monitored using optical means. Experiments in combination with simulations demonstrate that the presence of particles in such a chromium hole can be simply detected by using the color information of images by a charge couple device (CCD) camera without the need for additional spectroscopy setups. The presence of gold nanoparticles leads to a detectable red-shift in the images of the respective nanohole, which is the sensing principle of the sensor.