The use of bathoferroine for extraction-spectrophotometric determinations of microamounts of perchlorate and perrhenate

Bathoferroine can be used for anion determinations by a method based on selective ion-pair extraction if the selectivity of extraction has been enhanced by addition of nonelectrolyte to the water phase. The method of perchlorate and perrhenate determinations characterizes parameters similar to those obtained by methods in which other cation complexes have been used. The advantage of the proposed method is the possibility of considerable concentration of ion association compound extracts by nitromethane reextraction.     

Ab initio potential energy surface, variational transition state theory, and quasiclassical trajectory studies of the F+CH4-->HF+CH3 reaction

In this work we present a study of the F+CH(4)-->HF+CH(3) reaction (DeltaHdegrees(298 K)=-32.0 kcal mol(-1)) using different methods of the chemical reaction theory. The ground potential energy surface (PES) is characterized using several ab initio methods. Full-dimensional rate constants have been calculated employing the variational transition state theory and using directly ab initio data. A triatomic analytical representation of the ground PES was derived from ab initio points calculated at the second- and fourth-order M?ller-Plesset levels with the 6-311+G(2df,2pd) basis set, assuming the CH(3) fragment to be a 15 a.m.u. pseudoatom in the fitting process. This is suggested from experiments that indicate that the methyl group is uncoupled to the reaction coordinate. A dynamics study by means of the quasiclassical trajectory (QCT) method and employing this analytical surface was also carried out. The experimental data available on the HF internal states distributions are reproduced by the QCT results. Very recent experimental information about the reaction stereodynamics is also borne out by our QCT calculations. Comparisons with the benchmark F+H(2) and analogous Cl+CH(4) reactions are established throughout.     

Plasma quantification of quazepam and its 2-oxo and N-desmethyl metabolites by capillary gas chromatography

The authors have developed a gas chromatographic method for the simultaneous quantification of quazepam in plasma and its two main metabolites, 2-oxoquazepam and N-desmethylquazepam. This method involves an extraction from plasma using butyl acetate, and an analysis by electron-capture detection on a CP-Sil 5 WSCOT capillary column. Intra- and inter-day precision and accuracy were better than 10% for each of these three compounds, even near their detection limit estimated at 0.2 ng/ml. Linearity proved satisfactory between 0.2 and 60-70 ng/ml. For endogenous plasma components, adequate specificity was achieved. Despite some inconveniences, a long analysis time, a progressive saturation of the column owing to a low oven temperature, and a relatively short life-span of the CP-Sil 5 columns, this method was the only one available in the literature for the quantification of quazepam and its metabolites from the same plasma sample. It was successfully applied to phase I studies in healthy volunteers.     

Biocompatible hydrogels based on chitosan,cellulose/starch,PVA and PEDOT:PSS with high flexibility and high mechanical strength

Fabricating mechanically strong hydrogels that can withstand the conditions in internal tissues is a challenging task. We have designed hydrogels based on multicomponent systems by combining chitosan, starch/cellulose, PVA, and PEDOT:PSS via one-pot synthesis. The starch-based hydrogels were homogeneous, while the cellulose-based hydrogels showed the presence of cellulose micro- and nanofibers. The cellulose-based hydrogels demonstrated a swelling ratio between 121 and 156%, while the starch-based hydrogels showed higher values, from 234 to 280%. Tensile tests indicated that the presence of starch in the hydrogels provided high flexibility (strain at break?>?300%), while combination with cellulose led to the formation of stiffer hydrogels (elastic moduli 3.9–6.6 MPa). The ultimate tensile strength for both types of hydrogels was similar (2.8–3.9 MPa). The adhesion and growth of human osteoblast-like SAOS-2 cells was higher on hydrogels with cellulose than on hydrogels with starch, and was higher on hydrogels with PEDOT:PSS than on hydrogels without this polymer. The metabolic activity of cells cultivated for 3 days in the hydrogel infusions indicated that no acutely toxic compounds were released. This is promising for further possible applications of these hydrogels in tissue engineering or in wound dressings.

Graphical abstract

     

Elimination of SAS Interferences in Catalytic Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetric Determination of Cr(VI) by Means of Fumed Silica

In the work the procedure of chromium(VI) determination by catalytic adsorptive stripping voltammetry (CAdSV) with application of fumed silica, is presented. Two variants of the method are proposed: in the first fumed silica is put directly to the electrolytic cell containing tested solution, in the second the silica is shaken with the sample and next centrifuged. The effectiveness of many surface‐active substances removal from synthetic solutions as well as natural water samples, is studied. In the experiments the fumed silica (Sigma‐Aldrich) of the specific surface area in the range 200–390 m² g^?1 was used. Two types of the working electrodes were applied, i.e., hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) and cyclic renewable mercury film electrode (Hg(Ag)FE). In the silica presence i) the relative standard deviation (RSD) for 0.1 μg L^?1 Cr(VI) is <2% (HMDE) and <5% (Hg(Ag)FE), n=7, ii) the detection limits estimated deposition time 20 s were respectively 14 ng L^?1 (HMDE) and 22 ng L^?1 (Hg(Ag)FE). The accuracy of the method was tested by studying the recovery of Cr(VI) from spiked natural water samples.     

Highly efficient three-component synthesis of protected homoallylic amines by bismuth triflate-catalyzed allylation of aldimines

Bismuth triflate catalyzes the allylation of a variety of in situ generated protected aldimines using aldehydes, primary carbamates, and allyltrimethylsilane in a three-component reaction. The reaction proceeds rapidly and affords the corresponding protected homoallylic amine in good yield (up to 86%). Scope and limitations of the aldehyde and carbamate components are reported.     

Quasiclassical trajectory study of the F + CH4 reaction dynamics on a dual-level interpolated potential energy surface

An ab initio interpolated potential energy surface (PES) for the F + CH4 reactive system has been constructed using the interpolation method of Collins and co-workers. The ab initio calculations have been performed using second-order M?ller-Plesset (MP2) perturbation theory to build the initial PES. Scaling all correlation (SAC) methodology has been employed to improve the ab initio calculations and to construct a dual-level PES. Using this PES, a detailed quasiclassical trajectory study of integral and differential cross sections, product rovibrational populations and internal energy distributions has been carried out for the F + CH4 and F + CD4 reactions and the theoretical results have been compared with the available experimental data.     

A single-camera technique for simultaneous measurement of large solid particles transported in rapid shallow channel flows

This paper describes a measurement technique that was successfully applied in a study of bed load transport of large spherical solid particles in a shallow and supercritical flow (Fr?=?2.59–3.17) down a steep slope. The experimental condition was characterized by the relatively large solid particle size compared to the flow depth (d _p /h?=?0.23–0.35), and compared to the tracer diameter (d _p /d _t ?≈?130). The technique incorporated particle image velocimetry and particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) to simultaneously measure the characteristics of the two phases. In order to detect true solid particles and to distinguish them from each other and the unwanted objects, a particle characterization (PCR) algorithm based on Hough transform was employed. The output from the PCR process was utilized for PTV, as well as to generate the corresponding tracer images for special needs. Validation tests have confirmed the pixel accuracy and high reliability of the combined technique. Experimental results obtained with the developed technique include flow velocities, particle velocities, and concentration. The analysis has shown that the particle concentration profile followed an exponential relationship of the form similar to that of Rouse’s profiles, despite the large d _p /h ratio. It also revealed the effect of phase interaction, as a low loading rate of light particles on the order of O(10^?3) could yield a noticeable slowdown in the streamwise fluid velocity.