Evaluation of a purge-and-trap injection system for capillary gas chromatography-microwave induced plasma-atomic emission spectrometry for the determination of volatile selenium compounds in water

A method is presented for the selective determination of the volatile selenium species dimethylselenide and dimethyldiselenide, using a commercially available purge-and-trap injection system coupled to capillary gas chromatography-microwave induced plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. The efficiency of the purging step was evaluated and the parameters affecting the purge and trap processes were optimized. The method was applied to the determination of volatile selenium compounds in lake water. Relative detection limits of 2ng/l for dimethylselenide and dimethyldiselenide, corresponding to an absolute detection limit of 10 pg, were achieved.     

Study on the stability of noradrenaline and on the determination of its acidity constants

Noradrenaline is a catecholamine which has been largely recognised to play a very important role in biological systems. In view of the neurotransmitter's alleged importance, this work aimed at showing the influence of time on its spectral behaviour using different analytical methods and determining its acidity constants through spectrophotometric titration and by the so-called point-by-point analysis, where the samples are freshly prepared for each pH value investigated at the instant required. Because the catecholamines are light-sensitive and likely to react with the oxygen in the surrounding air, both methods used preclude its incidence onto the samples being analysed under the presence of a nitrogen atmosphere maintained over the solutions. The constants obtained through point-by-point analysis were log beta1 = 30.71+/-0.16, log beta2 = 22.00+/-0.15 and log beta3 = 11.69+/-0.16.     

Sensitive stripping voltammetry of heavy metals by using a composite sensor based on a built-in bismuth precursor

A new graphite-epoxy composite electrode (GECE) containing Bi(NO(3))(3) as a built-in bismuth precursor for simultaneous and individual anodic stripping analysis of heavy trace metals like lead and cadmium is reported. The developed Bi(NO(3))(3)-GECE is compatible with bismuth film electrodes reported previously including the composite electrodes (Bi-GECE) recently reported by our group. Bi(NO(3))(3)-GECE displays the ability for the detection of both individual and simultaneous determination of heavy trace metals and exhibits well defined, reproducible and sharp stripping signals. The sensitive response is combined with the minimal toxicity of Bi(NO(3))(3). This novel sensor would be an appropriate alternative tool to sensors using bismuth in solution during their utilization in environmental quality monitoring as well as other applications.     

Substituted m-phenylene bridges as strong ferromagnetic couplers for Cu(II)-bridge-Cu(II) magnetic interactions: new perspectives

Based on a combined theoretical-experimental study, we propose that substituted m-phenylene ligands (m-N-Phi-N) can act as tuneable strong ferromagnetic couplers connecting Cu(II) ions; a new complex presenting that bridge with J close to +15 cm(-1) has been suggested and synthesized.     

Pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse hemicellulose hydrolysate for xylitol production byCandida guilliermondii

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology - In order to remove or reduce the concentrations of toxic substances present in the sugarcane bagasse hemicellulose hydrolysate for xyloseto-xylitol...     

Structural and electronic comparative analysis of aminopyridazines showing anti-GABA activity. Crystal structure of 2-(carboxy-3′-propyl)-3-amino-6-cyclohexylpyridazinium bromide.Ab initio Mulliken population analysis of the 6-phenyl-substituted analog compared to GABA

The crystal structure of 2-(carboxy-3-propyl)-3-amino-6-cyclohexylpyridazinium bromide has been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques and refined by full-matrix least squares. The compound crystallized in the tri-clinic space groupP ¯1 witha=10.275(1),b=11.215(1),c=7.082(1) Å,=91.84(1),=102.21(1), =106.77(1)°, andZ=2. FinalR-factor is 0.045. The main structural results are very similar to the ones observed for the 6-phenyl analog. These two compounds are GABA-A antagonists.Ab initio molecular orbital calculations, with STO-3G and 4-31G basis sets, suggest that the exocyclic nitrogen accurately mimics the nitrogen atom of GABA.     

Potentiometric investigation of the stability of silver(I) complexes of some N-methyl substituted 4-H-diethylenetriamines in aqueous solution

By means of potentiometric pH and pAg measurements, the stability constants and the stoichiometric composition of the silver(I) complexes of some N-methyl-substituted 4-H-diethylenetriamines, in aqueous medium of ionic strength 1.3 and at a temperature of 25.00 degrees , have been determined. In addition to mononuclear and polynuclear complexes, together with their protonated forms, some hydroxo complexes are formed. The values of the stability constants are discussed in terms of possible structures.     

Cooperative effects in phospholipid monolayers induced by a peptide from HIV-1 capsid protein

The study of interactions between biological molecules and model membranes is essential for the understanding of a number of physiological mechanisms involved in viral infections and dissemination. In this paper, the analysis of the interaction between a peptide from the p24 protein of Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) and a phospholipid monolayer has pointed to a cooperative response in which very small amounts of peptide p24-1 (e.g. 0.05 mol%) can lead to measurable effects. Monolayer surface pressure and surface potential isotherms were affected for peptide concentrations as low as 0.05 mol%, with saturation at 0.5 mol%. The expansion effect from p24-1 is confirmed by changes in morphology of the monolayers using Brewster angle microscopy. Even though p24-1 is disordered in aqueous solutions, the interaction with dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) causes it to adopt an alpha-helix structure, as shown by circular dichroism (CD) data for multilamellar vesicles (MLV). The expansion of the phospholipid monolayer in a cooperative way may imply that p24-1 has potential antiviral activity, by participating in the cell rupture, with no need of specific receptors in the membrane.     

Effect of ionic strength on the formal potential of the glass electrode in various saline media

We examined the variation with ionic strength (I, adjusted with KCl, KNO₃, KBr, NaCl or NaClO₄) of the formal potential (E_const) for glass electrodes exhibiting a Nernstian response (i.e. E_cell=E_const−s log [H⁺]). For this purpose, we investigated the different factors included in the formal potential, so we obtained reported values for the liquid junction potential as a function of ionic strength and determined the logarithm of the activity coefficient for the proton in various saline media, using Pitzer equations.