Thermal desorption/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry approach for characterization of the volatile fraction from amber specimens: A possibility of tracking geological origins

Research on the chemical composition of fossil resins has evolved during the last decades as a multidisciplinary field and is strongly oriented toward the correlation with their geological and botanical origin. Various extraction procedures and chromatographic techniques have been used together for identifying the volatile compounds contained in the fossil resin matrix. Hyphenation between thermal desorption (TD), gas chromatography (GC) and mass spectrometry detection (MS) has been chosen to investigate the volatile compounds fraction from ambers with a focus on Romanite (Romanian amber) and Baltic amber species. A data analysis procedure was developed for the main purpose of fingerprinting ambers based on the MS identity of the peaks generated by the volatile fraction, together with their relative percentual area within the chromatogram. Chromatographic data analysis was based entirely on Automated Mass Spectral Deconvolution & Identification System (AMDIS) software to produce deconvoluted mass spectra which were used to build-up a mixed mass spectra and relative retention scale library. Multivariate data analysis was further applied on AMDIS results with successful discrimination between Romanite and Baltic ambers. A special trial was conducted to generate pyrolysis “like” macromolecular structure breakdown to volatile compounds by gamma irradiation with a high absorbed dose of 500 kGy. Contrary to our expectations the volatile fraction fingerprints were not modified after irradiation experiments. A complementary non-destructive new approach by ESR spectroscopy was also proposed for discriminating between Romanite and Baltic ambers.     

Asymptotic properties of a new Sturm–Liouville problem with retarded argument

In this work, we study the asymptotic properties of a new Sturm–Liouville problem with retarded argument. Contrary to previous works, differential equation includes eigenparameter as a quadratic function. In the considered problem arise new difficulties. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On the Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors of a Lorentzian Rotation Matrix by Using Split Quaternions

In this paper, we examine eigenvalue problem of a rotation matrix in Minkowski 3 space by using split quaternions. We express the eigenvalues and the eigenvectors of a rotation matrix in term of the coefficients of the corresponding unit timelike split quaternion. We give the characterizations of eigenvalues (complex or real) of a rotation matrix in Minkowski 3 space according to only first component of the corresponding quaternion. Moreover, we find that the casual characters of rotation axis depend only on first component of the corresponding quaternion. Finally, we give the way to generate an orthogonal basis for ${\mathbb{E}^{3}_{1}}$ by using eigenvectors of a rotation matrix.     

Commutators of sublinear operators generated by Calderón-Zygmund operator on generalized weighted Morrey spaces

In this paper, the boundedness of a large class of sublinear commutator operators T _b generated by a Calderón-Zygmund type operator on a generalized weighted Morrey spaces \({M_{p,\varphi }}(w)\) with the weight function w belonging to Muckenhoupt’s class A _p is studied. When 1 < p < ∞ and b ∈ BMO, sufficient conditions on the pair (φ ₁, φ ₂) which ensure the boundedness of the operator T _b from \({M_{p,\varphi 1}}(w)\) to \({M_{p,\varphi 2}}(w)\) are found. In all cases the conditions for the boundedness of T _b are given in terms of Zygmund-type integral inequalities on (φ ₁, φ ₂), which do not require any assumption on monotonicity of φ ₁(x, r), φ ₂(x, r) in r. Then these results are applied to several particular operators such as the pseudo-differential operators, Littlewood-Paley operator, Marcinkiewicz operator and Bochner-Riesz operator.     

A collocation method based on the Bessel functions of the first kind for singular perturbated differential equations and residual correction

In this paper, a collocation method is given to solve singularly perturbated two‐point boundary value problems. By using the collocation points, matrix operations and the matrix relations of the Bessel functions of the first kind and their derivatives, the boundary value problem is converted to a system of the matrix equations. By solving this system, the approximate solution is obtained. Also, an error problem is constructed by the residual function, and it is solved by the presented method. Thus, the error function is estimated, and the approximate solutions are improved. Finally, numerical examples are given to show the applicability of the method, and also, our results are compared by existing results. Copyright © 2014 JohnWiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Total Synthesis of the Biologically Active,Naturally Occurring 3,4‐Dibromo‐5‐[2‐bromo‐3,4‐dihydroxy‐6‐(methoxymethyl)benzyl]benzene‐1,2‐diol and Regioselective O‐Demethylation of Aryl Methyl Ethers

3,4‐Dibromo‐5‐[2‐bromo‐3,4‐dihydroxy‐6‐(methoxymethyl)benzyl]benzene‐1,2‐diol ( 2 ), a natural product, has been synthesized for the first time starting from (3‐bromo‐4,5‐dimethoxyphenyl)methanol ( 5 ) in five steps and with an overall yield of 34%. The reaction of some methoxymethyl‐substituted aryl methyl ethers with BBr₃, followed by the addition of MeOH, afforded the corresponding methoxymethyl‐substituted arylphenols in high yields.     

Synthesis and proton conductivity studies of polystyrene‐based triazole functional polymer membranes

In this study, poly(vinylbenzylchloride) (PVBC) was produced by free‐radical polymerization of 4‐vinylbenzylchloride, and then it was functionalized with 3‐amino‐1,2,4‐triazole (ATri) and 1H‐1,2,4‐triazole (Tri). The composition of the polymers was verified by elemental analysis, and the structure was characterized by Fourier transform infrared and ¹³C‐nuclear magnetic resonance spectra. PVBC was modified by ATri with 68% and Tri with 50% yield. The polymers were doped with trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (TA) at various molar ratios, X = 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 with respect to aminotriazole and triazole units. Proton transfer from TA to the triazole rings was proved with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the samples are thermally stable up to approximately 200 °C. Differential scanning calorimetry results illustrated the homogeneity of the materials. Under anhydrous conditions, PVBCATri3TA and PVBCTri3TA showed highest proton conductivity of 0.086 and 0.042 S/cm, respectively. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

Synthesis,microwave‐promoted catalytic activity in Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling reactions and antimicrobial properties of novel benzimidazole salts bearing trimethylsilyl group

A mixture of benzimidazole salts (2–7), Pd(OAc)₂ and K₂CO₃ in DMF–H₂O catalyzes the Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling reactions promoted by microwave irradiation resulting in high yield within a short time. In particular, the yield of the Suzuki–Miyaura reactions with aryl bromides was found to be nearly quantitative. The synthesized benzimidazole salts (2–7) were identified by ¹H‐¹³C, NMR, IR spectroscopic methods and microanalysis. The molecular structure of 1 was determined by X‐ray crystallography. The antibacterial and antifungal activities of the novel benzimidazole derivatives (1–7) were also tested against standard strains. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A class of similarity solutions for radial motions of compressible hyperelastic spheres and cylinders

A class of similarity solutions is obtained for radial motions of spherical and cylindrical bodies made of a certain type of compressible hyperelastic materials. The equations satisfied by the infinitesimal generators of the symmetry group of the unified governing first order field equations for spheres and cylinders are found. It is shown that these equations admit a special class of solutions which generate a five-parameter group of transformations. The form of the strain energy function corresponding to the resulting symmetry group is evaluated. The similarity variable is determined and ordinary differential equations satisfied by similarity solutions are obtained. Numerical solutions are given for a Ko material which falls into the class of admissible materials.