Synthesis,electrolyte properties and solar cell performance of hyperbranched poly(aryl-ether-urea)s

Hyperbranched poly(aryl-ether-urea)s with phenyl, N,N-dimethylamino ethyl and polyethylene oxide end-groups linked through urethane group – HBPEU-1, HBPEU-2 and HBPEU-3 respectively – were synthesized from an AB₂-type blocked isocyanate monomer and characterized by FT-IR, ¹H-NMR, SEC-MALLS, TGA and DSC techniques. The molecular weight of the polymers were found to be ranged from 4.9 × 10³ ? 1.96 × 10⁴ g/mol. The TGA results showed that the polymers decompose between 175°C – 220°C. In the DSC curves, HBPEU-1 and HBPEU-3 showed T_g at 160°C and 53°C respectively, whereas HBPEU-2 did not showed clear T_g. All the three polymers were converted into polymer electrolytes by doping with LiI/I₂. The doped polymers showed remarkably high ionic conductivity, up to 222 – 277 times compared to the un-doped polymers and the highest conductivity was observed with doped HBPEU-2. The TiO₂ based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were fabricated using the doped polymer electrolytes and their performance was tested; HBPEU-2 showed good performance by yielding energy conversion efficiency (η) of 4.5%.     

Food safety assurance using methods of chemical analysis

A review of state-of-the-art methods of sample preparation and chemical analysis for the control of contaminants in foodstuffs and food raw materials is presented. The main achievements and performance characteristics of methods for the determination of pesticides and veterinary drugs, their metabolites, natural toxins, trace amounts of chemical elements, first of all toxic, allergens, food additives, and contaminants from packaging materials in foodstuffs and for the identification of falsifications by methods of chemical analysis are considered.     

Chromatographic determination of nitrophenols in aqueous media after two-stage preconcentration using an N-vinylpyrrolidone-based polymer

Two-stage procedures for the preconcentration of nitrophenols (4-nitrophenol, 2,4- and 2,5-dinitrophenol, and 2,4,6-trinitrophenol) from aqueous solutions are proposed. At the first stage, the preconcentration and desorption of nitrophenols under dynamic conditions is carried out. At the second stage, depending on the nature of the desorption solution, the eluate is evaporated (acetonitrile) or saturated with ammonium sulfate and extracted with acetone (aqueous NH₃ solution). The concentration factors are 4000 and 910, respectively. Nitrophenols are determined in concentrates by thin layer chromatography and HPLC, the limits of detection are 1.0–1.8 and 0.25–0.45 μg/L, respectively. The duration of analysis is 200 min.     

Detection and quantification of chitosan aggregates by pressure-assisted capillary zone electrophoresis

An approach to the detection and determination of chitosan aggregates in acetic acid solutions is proposed using pressure-assisted capillary zone electrophoresis. Processes of chitosan aggregation are studied depending on the composition of dispersion medium and storage time. The presence of several species of positively charged chitosan aggregates is revealed for the first time. Particle sizes in the range 20–2500 nm are determined by scanning electron microscopy and static and dynamic light scattering. The dependence of the shape of electropherograms on particle size distribution obtained under the same conditions is found. A trend to changing electrophoretic mobility depending on the size of the aggregate is observed, which enables the approximate evaluation of the polydispersity of chitosan solutions. Chitosan is used for the effective dynamic modification of capillaries, which does not require the introduction of a modifier into the background electrolyte.     

An electrochemical aptasensor for cytochrome C,based on pillar[5]arene modified with Neutral Red

An electrochemical aptasensor is developed for the highly sensitive determination of cytochrome C, using a change in the redox current of Neutral Red covalently bound to terminal carboxyl groups of decasubstituted pillar[5]arene as a signal. The inclusion of the analyte into the complex with an aptamer reduces peaks of redox current of the dye through the dissociation of electron transfer chain in the surface layer. The aptasensor enables the determination of 1 nM to 1.0 mM of cytochrome C in the presence of 1000-fold excesses of albumin, polyethylene glycol, and lysozyme as models of interfering components in biological fluids.     

Mechanism of reaction of selenium elimination in diacetophenonyl selenide under the action of reduced glutathione

Products of reaction between the organoselenium xenobiotic, diacetophenonyl selenide (1,5-diphenyl-3-selenapenta-1,5-dione), and reduced glutathione at different molar ratios and pH values were studied by HPLC and TLC. Reaction intermediates, S-(acetophenylselenyl)glutathione and glutathione selenodisulfide, and reaction products, acetophenone and hydroselenide anion, were detected. The reaction scheme proposed earlier was confirmed.     

New approaches to the calculation and interpretation of asymmetry factors of chromatographic peaks

The suitability of the determination of the asymmetry factor of chromatographic peaks by the ratio of areas of two components separated by a perpendicular dropped from the maximum of the peak to the base-line, A _s * = S _b /S _a , where symbol a corresponds to the leading edge of the peak and b is for its tailing slope, is discussed. It is demonstrated that this method enables the estimation of the asymmetry of even partially separated chromatographic signals, including those eluted “in the tail” of intense peaks of solvents. The concepts of the asymmetry index I(A _s *) and its increment ΔI(A _s *) = (A _s *)–I(A _s *) are introduced, which ensures the characterization of the asymmetry of peaks of polar analytes with respect to the asymmetry of nonpolar reference components, that is, the separation of the effects of the polarity of analytes and their quantities injected into the chromatographic column on this parameter. For the first time we revealed a correlation of the asymmetry factors of compounds of different chemical nature with such a characteristic of their polarity as the difference in chromatographic separation temperature and the normal boiling point of analytes.     

Solution state and complexing ability of 1,4-bis(amidomethylsulfinyl)butane toward iron(III), copper(II), cobalt(II), nickel(II), and manganese(II)

The solution state and thermodynamic stability of complexes of the new antituberculosis agent 1,4-bis(amidomethylsulfinyl)butane (L) with iron(III), copper(II), cobalt(II), nickel(II), and manganese(II) in an aqueous solution in the presence and in the absence of the nonionic surfactant Brij 35 were studied by spectrophotometry, pH potentiometry, NMR relaxation technique (T = 25 °C; variable ionic strength), and mathematical simulation. The geometry optimization of all structures was carried out by the molecular mechanics method MM2 in order to obtain data on coordination modes. In addition, the structure of 1,4-bis(amidomethylsulfinyl)butane was refined by the DFT/B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) quantum chemical method using the IEFPCM model to take into account solvent effects. In an aqueous solution (in the concentration range of 1.3?10^–5—1?10^–3 mol L–1) and in the presence of Brij 35, 1,4-bis(amidomethylsulfinyl)butane exists as a neutral monomer. The Beer—Lambert—Bouguer law is obeyed in a wide concentration range for compound L in an aqueous solution, as well as in the presence of the surfactant, which can be used for the quantification of compound L. Iron(III), cobalt(II), and nickel(II) were shown to form 1: 1 mononuclear complexes with L; and copper(II) forms, 1: 1 and 2: 2 complexes. The presence of Brij 35 in the Cu²⁺—L system at a micellar concentration promotes the formation of a dinuclear complex.     

A comparative study of the reactions of fluorinated oxi- and thiiranes with acyl chlorides

The CoCl₂-catalyzed reactions of fluorinated 1,2-oxi- and thiiranes with acyl chlorides were studied. It was found that a regioselective heterocycle opening reaction resulted in two isomers having normal and abnormal structure in a ratio predetermined by the substituents in both the starting heterocycles and acyl chlorides.     

Synthesis of substituted 3-acyl-1-hydroxyindoles and azoles on their basis

A general approach to the synthesis of new 3-acetyl-substituted pyrrolo[3,4-f]indole-5,7-diones, 3-[3-(dimethylamino)acryloyl]-1-methoxypyrrolo[3,4-f]indole-5,7-diones and similar indole-5,6-dicarbonitriles has been developed. Dimethylaminoacryloyl derivatives synthesized on their basis regioselectively reacted with hydrazine hydrochlorides and hydroxylamine with the formation of the corresponding 5-substituted azoles.