Preconcentration and voltammetric determination of the herbicide metamitron with a silica-modified carbon paste electrode

A carbon paste electrode incorporating silica (Si-MCPE) was fabricated to accumulate Metamitron at the electrode surface. Several electroanalytical techniques were used to explore its reductive behaviour. The results indicate that the system is irreversible and fundamentally controlled by adsorption. The adsorptive stripping response has been evaluated with respect to accumulation time, deposition potential, scan rate, pH and other variables, using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV) as redissolution techniques. In both cases a voltammetric peak is obtained, at –0.542 V (DPV) and –0.421 V (SWV) in Britton-Robinson buffer (pH 1.9). The detection limits were 3.66 × 10^–1 M and 4.22 × 10^–9 M for AdS-DPV and AdS-SWV, respectively. Under optimum conditions the Metamitron reduction peak gave two linear regions in the range from 4.0 × 10^–9 M to 8.0 × 10^–8 M by means of AdS-DPV, with a coefficient of variation of 2.19% (n = 10) for 1 × 10^–8 M herbicide solution. A method was developed for determination of Metamitron in soils, with a recovery of 98.8% and a coefficient of variation of 5.26% (0.01 g/g of soil).     

Synthesis and Diels-Alder reactions of homochiral 2-sulfinylmaleates with cyclopentadiene

Enantiomerically pure 2-p-tolylsulfinylmaleates 1, 2 and 3 have been readily prepared by Knoevenagel reaction between (S)-menthyl p-toluenesulfinate and glyoxylic acid. Their asymmetric Diels-Alder reactions with cyclopentadiene have been studied under a wide range of uncatalyzed and catalyzed conditions and the stereochemical results have been explained by assuming a steric control approach, in term of S-cis or S-trans favoured conformations. Uncatalyzed Diels-Alder reactions of 1 and some Lewis acid catalyzed Diels-Alder reactions of 2 show high facial and endo selectivities. The facial selectivity of dienophile 2 highly depends on the Lewis acid, whereas reactivity of 1 and 3 is very sensitive to the solvent. These sulfinylmaleates 1, 2 and 3 act as synthetic equivalents of chiral acetylenedicarboxylates in Diels-Alder reactions after basic elimination of the sulfinylic moiety in the resulting adducts.     

Preparation of 13C4-6-methyl anthranilic ester via a Diels-Alder-type process. an experimental and theoretical study to characterize an unexpected isotope exchange

Buta-2,3-dienoate reacts with vinyl ketenimine to give the corresponding substituted aniline through a Diels-Alder cycloaddition. Besides the expected Diels-Alder adduct 3a, the aniline 3b was also obtained in a ratio of 91:9. The observed (13)C exchange is explained on the basis of a reversible [2 + 2] cycloaddition competing with the [4 + 2] process. This is supported by B3LYP DFT computations, as a stepwise pathway lies very close in energy to the [4 + 2] concerted one. [reaction: see text]     

Preparation of α-amino ketones, β-amino hydroxylamines using asymmetric aza-Henry reactions of N-p-tolylsulfinylimines with nitroethane

N-Sulfinylimines derived from aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes react with nitroethane and NaOH, yielding mainly two diastereoisomeric β-nitroamines as the result of a highly diastereoselective reaction and further epimerization of the carbon linked to the nitro group. The resulting β-nitroamines are used as precursors of N-sulfonyl α-amino methyl ketones and β-amino hydroxylamines.     

Application of Differential Scanning Calorimetry to the Reduction of Several Manganese Oxides

The aim of this work was to study the thermal transitions of several manganese oxides (MnO, MnOOH, Mn₂O₃, Mn₃O₄ and MnO₂) under reducing conditions. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to analyse the transitions of some oxides into others. A comparison of the behavior of the synthetic samples with that of a natural manganese dioxide demonstrated that DSC is a quick tool for the distinction of natural manganese dioxide from synthetic γ-MnO₂ from other manganese oxides. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Existence of unique solutions for perturbed autonomous differential equations

We consider the existence of unique absolutely continuous solutionsfor x' = p(t)f(x) + p(t)h(t), t 0, x(0) = 0, where p, f, andh are positive almost everywhere, but none of them needs becontinuous or monotone. Moreover, p and f can be unbounded aroundzero. Our uniqueness results are not based on assumptions onthe differences f(x) – f(y), as it is usual in most uniquenessresults, and they are new even when p, f, and h are continuous.     

The recognition and sensing of anions through "positive allosteric effects" using simple urea-amide receptors

The design, synthesis, and X-ray crystallographic analysis of three simple diaryl-urea based anion receptors possessing an amide moiety on one of the aryl groups, and an electron withdrawing CF(3) group on the other, is described. The three receptors differ only in the position of the amide functionality relative to the hydrogen bonding urea moiety (being para, meta, and ortho for 1, 2, and 3, respectively). This simple modification was shown to have a significant effect on the anion recognition ability, the strength of the recognition process, and the stoichiometry (host/guest) for these sensors. We demonstrate, by using both UV-vis absorption and (1)H NMR spectroscopy, that these factors are caused by the ability of the amide moiety to both modulate the anion binding selectivity and the sensitivity of the urea moiety. We also demonstrate that, in the case of 1 and 2, this anion recognition at the urea moiety leads to concomitant activation (through enhanced inductive effect) in the amide functionality toward anions, which leads to the formation of an overall 1:2 (sensor/anion) binding stoichiometry for these receptors. This "activation" we describe as being an example of a "positive allosteric activation" by the urea site, caused directly by the first anion binding interaction, which to the best of our knowledge, has not been previously demonstrated for anion recognition and sensing.     

A general method for the preparation of N-sulfonyl aldimines and ketimines

[Reaction: see text] A simple procedure to obtain N-sulfonyl imines involving the condensation of carbonyl compounds with p-tolyl or tert-butyl sulfinamides followed by oxidation with m-CPBA of the resulting N-sulfinylimines is reported. The method is applicable to aldehydes (aliphatics and aromatics) and ketones (diaryl, dialkyl, and aryl alkyl), even those containing enolizable protons. It also does not affect C=N or C=C double bonds and does not epimerize alpha-stereogenic centers.     

Positive fixed points and fourth-order equations

This work presents sufficient conditions for the existence ofat least one positive solution for a nonlinear fourth-orderbeam equation under Lidstone boundary conditions. The main toolused is a fixed point theorem that essentially combines themonotone iterative technique with fixed point theorems of coneexpansion or compression type. The last section contains twoexamples that complement some related results existent in theliterature.     

INTERFERENCE EFFECTS IN DIFFERENT FIFTH-ORDER POLARIZATIONS WITH BROADBAND NOISY LIGHT

Based on the second-order coherence function, we have studied a phase-conjugate ultrafast modulation spectroscopy due to the interference between the fifth- and fifth-order optical polarizations in cascade three-level Doppler-broadened system. It is found that the temporal behaviour of the beat signal depends on the stochastic properties of the lasers and the transverse relaxation rate of the transition. The beat signal depends on the second-order coherence function, which is determined by the laser line shape. Since different stochastic models of the laser field only affect higher than second-order coherence functions, they have little influence on the general temporal modulation behaviour of the beat signal. The cases that pump beams have either narrow band or broadband linewidth are considered and it has been found that for both cases the overall accuracy for the energy-level difference measurement is determined by the homogeneous linewidths of the optical transitions. Finally, the spatial modulation behaviour of the beat signal has also been discussed.