Determination of residues of carazolol and a number of tranquilizers in swine kidney by high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet and fluorescence detection

A rapid and sensitive method has been set up for the determination of the beta-receptor blocker carazolol and the tranquillizers acepromazine, azaperone, chlorpromazine, haloperidol, propionylpromazine and xylazine in swine kidneys. The procedure involves extraction with acetonitrile, rapid sample clean-up with a Sep-Pak C18 cartridge and high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet and fluorescence detection. The mean recoveries range from 93 to 101%, with the exception of xylazine (52%), and the coefficients of variation from 5.3 to 18.9% at a fortification level of 20 micrograms/kg. The limits of determination range from 0.3 micrograms/kg for carazolol to 1-10 micrograms/kg for the other drugs. The method has been tested in routine monitoring programmes.     

Relativistic all-electron molecular Hartree-Fock-Dirac-(Breit) calculations on CH4, SiH4, GeH4, SnH4, PbH4

Summary Results and details of molecular Fock-Dirac-(Breit) calculations on CH₄, SiH₄, GeH₄, SnH₄, and PbH₄ obtained with the MOLFDIR© program package are presented and compared with other calculations and experimental results. The relativistic ground state energies (including the Breit interaction) of the atoms C, Si, Ge, Sn, and Pb, necessary for reference purposes, have been calculated using a small relativistic CI. One of our findings is that for the heavier systems perturbation theory over-estimates the relativistic bond length contraction. The Breit interaction has only a small effect on the bond lengths.     

The use of solvent resistant nanofiltration in the recycling of the Co-Jacobsen catalyst in the hydrolytic kinetic resolution (HKR) of epoxides

The use of solvent resistant nanofiltration (SRNF) provides an elegant alternative to the classical heterogenization of homogeneous catalysts. The SRNF-membrane separates the catalyst from the reaction mixture and allows products and solvent to permeate. This concept is now applied to the Co-Jacobsen catalyst in the hydrolytic kinetic resolution (HKR) of epoxides. A range of commercially available NF-membranes and three laboratory prepared membranes were subjected to filtration tests in diethylether, isopropanol and under solvent-free conditions. The membranes with the best performance were selected to recycle the Co-Jacobsen catalyst under catalytic conditions. Finally, the membrane reactor developed for the IPA-system, was optimized through the screening of different process parameters, including temperature, pressure and membrane thickness.     

Template-aluminosilicate structures at the early stages of zeolite ZSM-5 formation. A combined preparative, solid-state NMR, and computational study

Species at three stages in the self-assembly of zeolite ZSM-5 have been studied with one- and two-dimensional magic-angle-spinning 13C, 27Al, 29Si, and 1H NMR spectroscopy and compared with the earlier proposed structures: (1) precursor species containing 33-36 T sites around a tetrapropylammonium (TPA) cation, (2) nanoslabs consisting of a flat 4 x 3 array of such precursors, and (3) the final TPA-ZSM-5 zeolite. Synthesis was carried out in D2O to suppress the water and silanol protons. Under such conditions, the effective Si-H and Al-H distances measured with 29Si-{1H} and 27Al-{1H} rotational echo double resonance (REDOR) reflect the interactions between TPA cations and the surrounding aluminosilica. The 29Si-{1H} REDOR curves for Q4-type silicon atoms at the three mentioned stages are closely similar, as well as the observed 27Al-1H REDOR curve for the precursor species compared to that for the TPA-ZSM-5. This indicates that in addition to externally attached TPA, there is also internal TPA already incorporated at an early stage into the aluminosilicate in a similar way as in the final zeolite, in accordance with the earlier proposed MFI self-assembly pathway (Kirschhock et al. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2001, 40, 2637). However, the effective distances extracted from the initial REDOR curvatures are significantly (10-15%) larger than those computed for the model. Since there is no temperature effect, we tentatively assign this difference to a reduction of the 29Si-1H and 27Al-1H interactions by multispin decoherence effects or self-decoupling caused by proton spin diffusion. By assuming the computed model distances and fitting Anderson-Weiss curves to the observed REDOR data, we obtain similar "decoherence times" in the order of 0.1 ms. The observed 29Si-{1H} REDOR dephasing for the Q3 sites in the precursors is significantly faster than that for the Q4 sites. This is tentatively ascribed to a partial deuteron-proton back exchange at the silanol positions.     

An improved molecular modeling method for the prediction of enantioselectivity

An improved method for the calculation of enantioselectivity by molecular mechanics is presented. This method does not use any a priori assumption on the conformation of the molecules in the complex and is equally applicable to weak as well as very strong complexes. High-temperature molecular dynamics is used for the creation of a large number (5000–20,000) of random conformations and configurations of a 1:1 (or 1:2) complex of chiral molecules with a chiral selector. All configurations are energy minimized. The data set is only accepted if all lowest-energy complexes occur at least five times in the minimized data set. The enantioselectivity is then calculated from the free energies of the diasteromeric complexes (chiral chromatography) or from the ratio of the sum of the Boltzmann weights (distribution of enantiomers over a chiral organic phase and a nonchiral water phase). This approach has been successfully applied to a range of chiral compounds. These include a weakly bonded Pirkle chiral stationary phase (CSP) system, a strong complex of diprotonated 1,2-diphenyl-1,2-diamino-ethane with two molecules of R,R-tartrate, and the intermediate-strength complexes of protonated and of neutral norephedrine with R,R-tartrate. © 1995 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Measurement of non-linear distortions in the vibration of acoustic transducers and acoustically driven membranes

Different methods exist to quantify non-linearity, and recently a new method was proposed that uses multisines to determine output response level, noise level, and level of non-linear distortions simultaneously from one single short experiment. We used heterodyne vibrometry to measure the vibration of a membrane while it is stimulated acoustically, and to determine the non-linear distortions in its response with this new method of analysis. We demonstrate the method on an electrically driven earphone. Analysis of the sound output and optically measured vibration deliver comparable results, and clearly detect non-linear distortions. Next, we apply the method on an acoustically driven elastic membrane. At vibration amplitudes of the same magnitude as on the earphone, non-linear distortions are much smaller, as to be expected on an elastic membrane, but they can still be detected with the vibrometer. This technique can be used to investigate the non-linearity of acoustically driven systems such as the middle ear.     

Control of the electrode temperature for electrochemical studies: A new approach illustrated on porous anodizing of aluminium

A new approach for studying the effect of temperature on electrochemical processes is presented in this paper. Using an in-house developed electrode holder, experiments are performed under conditions of applied and controlled electrode temperature. This new approach provides an improved temperature control during the experimental study and, additionally, allows distinguishing both the influences of the electrolyte and electrode temperatures. The advantages of the applied electrode temperature approach are illustrated by considering porous anodizing of aluminium. In a broad temperature range the electrochemical behaviour of the aluminium electrodes, recorded during the new and the conventional way of anodizing, are compared. Differences between the anodic potential evolutions in both approaches are observed, and are explained by a heat flux to the surroundings during the experiments at uncontrolled electrode temperature. These results illustrate the advantage of applying the electrode temperature. If the influence of temperature on a process is investigated by merely varying the electrolyte temperature, the electrode temperature is only indirectly influenced and can significantly differ from the electrolyte temperature. Therefore, when evaluating the influence of temperature on an electrochemical system the electrode temperature should be considered, and preferentially also controlled.