Bis-substituted benzo-15-crown-5 ethers as ion carriers in potassium ion-selective electrodes

Lipophilic bis-substituted ester and ether derivatives of benzo-15-crown-5 have been synthesised. The correlation between the structure and potentiometric ion-selectivity has been studied in PVC membrane ion-selective electrodes. An ion-selective potassium sensitive electrode based on 4,5-bis (biphenyloxymethyl)benzo-15-crown-5 exhibited the best electrode properties. The detection limit was loga _K = -5.4; logK _K,Na ^ppot = -3.5. The effect of the lipophilicity of neutral carriers upon electrode performance has been also discussed.     

Structure and properties of the ion pair charge-transfer complex of octacyanotungstate(IV) with the 2,2′-bipyridinium dication

The X-ray crystal structure of (bpyH2)2[W(CN)8]·4H2 O (bpyH2=2,2-bipyridinium) is described. The [W(CN)8]4– anion has an approximately square antiprismatic (D4d) conformation, seemingly imposed by strong anion–water–cation hydrogen-bonding interactions. Bond distances in the anion are: WC 2.150(5), 2.163(5); CN 1.128(6), 1.145(6)Å and the angles WCN are 177.6(5), 178.3(5)°. The dihydrate and the anhydrous salt are both intensely black solids, exhibiting ion-pair charge-transfer interaction between cation and anion. E.s.r. spectra indicate that 30% of the tungsten is present as WV in the solid state, but that in solution only the WIV complex is present. The electron withdrawing effect of the cation is discussed and compared with that in a series of salts with different bipyridinium cations.     

Sampling volatile organic compounds using a modified solid phase microextraction device

Headspace solid phase microextraction (headspace SPME) has been demonstrated to be an excellent solvent-free sampling method. One of the major factors contributing to the success of headspace SPME is the concentrating effect of the fiber coating toward organic compounds. The affinity of the fiber coating toward very volatile analytes, such as chloromethane, may, however, not be large enough for detection at the parts per trillion concentration level. Static headspace analysis, on the other hand, is very effective for these very volatile compounds. As analyte volatility decreases, the sensitivity of static headspace analysis drops. The complementary nature of these two sampling methods can be exploited by combining the SPME device with a gastight syringe. The sensitivity of the new sampling device is better than that of SPME for very volatile compounds or that of static headspace analysis for less volatile compounds. This new method can sample a wide range of compounds from chloromethane (b.p. −24°C) to bromoform (b.p. 149°C) with estimated limits of detection at the low parts per trillion level.     

Solvent-generated HPLC systems with β-cyclodextrin derivatives as chiral additives

It is shown that enantioselective solvent-generated liquid-liquid and liquid-solid Chromatographic systems with -cyclodextrin derivatives can be realized. The liquid-liquid systems are based on ternary solvent systems of limited miscibility, containing chiral additives; the chiral stationary phase is spontaneously generated on the porous microparticulate silica used as a solid support. In the solvent-generated adsorption systems a very small proportion of -cyclodextrin derivatives is added to the mobile phase. These components act as column activators, since they are strongly adsorbed on the RP solid support where they form new stereoselective adsorption sites. It is demonstrated that dynamically generated systems with -cyclodextrin derivatives as chiral agents are powerful and versatile tools for enantioseparation of different types of compounds. This technique creates not only a new type of selectivity but also leads to very stable and reproducible Chromatographic columns.Dedicated to Professor J. F. K. Huber on the occasion of his 65th birthday     

Silica - Titania Support for HVOC's Combustion Catalysts

Preparation of support series for catalysts of combustion of halogenated volatile organic compounds (H-VOC's) was carried out. It was stated that all they allow preparing active catalysts however their main drawback is the lack of hardness against products of H-VOC's combustion e.g. hydrogen chloride and chlorine. Laboratory tests showed that titania and silica - titania supports were characterized by the highest hardness against chlorine derivatives. In comparison to the titania supports, low content (ca. 10 wt.%) silica-containing supports have better mechanical properties, i.e. mechanical strength and attrition resistance. In this paper the method of preparation, composition and physicochemical properties of silica - titania support are presented. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Crown Inclusion Compounds with 3,4-Diamino-1,2,5-Oxadiazole. X-Ray Structures of Its 1:1 Inclusion Complexes with 15-Crown-5 and Benzo-15-crown-5

The X-ray crystal structures of two closely related molecular complexes of 15-crown-5 and benzo-15-crown-5 with 3,4-diamino-1,2,5-oxadiazole are reported (I and II). Both complexes are of 1:1 stoichiometry with the host–guest alternation in the infinitechains formed due to the unsymmetrical H-bonding patterns between the components. Crystals of I are monoclinic, P2_1/c, a = 7.856(3), b = 12.994(1), c = 16.033(1) , = 94.79(2)°, Z = 4, final R-factor is 0.0488. Crystals of II are orthorhombic, P2₁2₁2₁, a = 8.260(4), b = 15.692(5),c = 13.955(7) , Z = 4, final R-factor is 0.0522.     

Structure of the 18-Crown-6 Complex with Ammonium Hexafluorosilicate and Water

The crystalline host–guest type complex [(18-crown-6NH₄)₂][SiF₆]4H₂Ohas been obtained as the result of the interaction of SiF₄2NH₃ with 18-crown-6 (18C6) in an aqueous medium. Crystal data: monoclinic, space groupC 2 c, a=26.541(2), b=8.363(2), c=20.469(2) Å, = 122.43(1)°and Z=4. The final R-value is 0.070 for 3253 reflections with I 2(I).The crystals consist of the complex [NH₄18C6]⁺ cations, [SiF₆]^2-anions and water molecules. The ammonium cation is hydrogen bonded by three of its H-atoms to the crown ether oxygen atoms with N(1) O separations2.923(5)–2.940(5) Å and by the fourth H-atom to the fluorine atom of thehexafluorosilicate anion, the N(1)F(4) distance being 2.797(6) Å.The conformation of the macrocycle and the hydrogen-bond geometry in thecomplex cation closely resemble those in related adducts between 18-crown-6and ammonium salts. All crystal components are connected via a system of hydrogen bonds into a ribbon along the b axis in the unit cell.     

Structure and thermal properties of the fritted glazes in SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>–Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>–CaO–MgO–Na<Subscript>2</Subscript>O–K<Subscript>2</Subscript>O–ZnO system

In this work, the structure and thermal properties of aluminosilicate fritted glazes in SiO₂–Al₂O₃–CaO–MgO–Na₂O–K₂O–ZnO system with (4.0 mol%) and without addition of ZnO were examined by GIXRD, FTIR, MAS-NMR and thermal methods (DTA, DIL). It has been found that the all experimental glazes are amorphous material (transparent glazes). On the base of spectroscopic investigations, it was found that zinc ions exist in the network glazes in the octahedral coordination—Zn²⁺ ions play a network modifier role in structure of glazes. An analysis of the data obtained from thermal tests showed that addition of ZnO into chemical composition results in decrease in glass transition temperature value (T _g) for all glazes (DTA, DIL). The coefficient of thermal expansion (α) is decreased as the whole measurement range for one series of fritted glazes.     

Synthesis of β-cyclodextrin-lysozyme conjugates and their physicochemical and biochemical properties

Recently a great interest in the field of protein engineering and the design of innovative drug delivery systems employing specific ligands such as cyclodextrins is observed. The paper reports the solid state, thermal method for protein coupling with β-cyclodextrin and the physicochemical and biological properties of the obtained conjugates. The structure of the obtained conjugates was investigated via liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, dynamic light scattering and circular dichroism analysis. The presented conjugates were biologically active and covalently bound β-cyclodextrin preserved the ability to form inclusion complexes with the model compound. This report demonstrates the great potential of cyclodextrin as a modifying unit that can be used to modulate the properties of therapeutic proteins, additionally giving such conjugates the possibility to transport many therapeutic substances in the form of inclusion complexes. In addition, the paper presents the potential of protein-cyclodextrin conjugates to construct innovative bioactive molecules for biological and medical applications.