First observation of the decays B(0) --> D(*-)p_p pi+ and B(0) --> D(*-)p_n

We report the first observation of exclusive decays of the type B-->D(*)N_NX, where N is a nucleon. Using a sample of 9.7x10(6)B_B pairs collected with the CLEO detector operating at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring, we measure the branching fractions B(B0-->D(*-)p_p pi(+)) = (6.5(+1.3)(-1.2)+/-1.0)x10(-4) and B(B0-->D(*-)p_n) = (14.5(+3.4)(-3.0)+/-2.7)x10(-4). Antineutrons are identified by their annihilation in the CsI electromagnetic calorimeter.     

Study of charmless hadronic B meson decays to pseudoscalar-vector final states

We report results of searches for charmless hadronic B meson decays to pseudoscalar( pi(+/-), K+/-, pi(0), or K(0)(S))-vector( rho, K(*), or omega) final states. By using 9.7x10(6) BB pairs collected with the CLEO detector, we report the first observation of B(-)--->pi(-)rho(0), B(0)-->pi(+/-)rho(-/+), and B(-)-->pi(-)omega, which are expected to be dominated by hadronic b-->u transitions. The measured branching fractions are (10.4(+3.3)(-3.4)+/-2.1)x10(-6), (27.6(+8.4)(-7.4)+/-4.2)x10(-6), and (11.3(+3.3)(-2.9)+/-1. 4)x10(-6), respectively. Branching fraction upper limits are set for all of the other decay modes investigated.     

A Series of Collaborations between Various Pharmaceutical Companies and Regulatory Authorities Concerning the Analysis of Biomolecules Using Capillary Electrophoresis: Additional Instruments/Buffer

An international project team (including members from US, Canada and UK) was formed from a number of interested biopharmaceutical companies and regulatory authorities to conduct a cross-organisation collaboration exercise. The results of the first comparison with eight different organisations that used instruments of the same equipment model, the same reagents, and the same methodology has been reported previously [1]. This report represents the addition of other instruments using a different run buffer. The relative migration times were different, as expected, prohibiting a direct comparison between companies. The within-organisation variability was low for both relative migration time (<0.34% RSD% for all companies save one) and the peak area (<5% RSD% for all companies save one) when measuring the purity of a representative IgG sample. The apparent molecular weight of bovine serum albumin was measured with good precision (less than 10% RSD% across all companies) to the theoretical value when all data is utilized (67.5 kDa compared to 66.4 kDa). For a representative IgG sample, the three main components, IgG Light Chain, IgG Non-glycosylated Heavy Chain, and IgG Heavy Chain, could not be separated, specifically the IgG Non-glycosylated Heavy Chain and IgG Heavy Chain. When the IgG Non-glycosylated Heavy Chain and IgG Heavy Chain were combined for all organisations, the fractional peak area for the IgG Light Chain and IgG Non-glycosylated Heavy Chain + IgG Heavy Chain peak also showed excellent agreement, with less than 7.5 and 3.5% RSD%, respectively. The value of this exercise is in demonstrating the reliability of CE for the determination of apparent size of biopharmaceutical proteins. This underpins the appropriate use of such CE data in support of regulatory submissions.

     

A synthesis of acetamidines

The condensation of primary amine with N,N-dimethylacetamide dimethyl acetal yields a mixture of acetamidine and imidate ester. The product distribution in this reaction depends on the temperature, solvent, and structure of the primary amine. It is possible to suppress the formation of imidate ester by performing the reaction in the presence of excess dimethyl amine, yielding acetamidine as the exclusive product. For acetamidines that cannot be purified either by crystallization or distillation, this new method is necessary for the generation of pure acetamidines in good yields.     

Switchable-polarity solvents prepared with a single liquid component

Known liquids that can reversibly switch their polarity at atmospheric pressure are all prepared as mixtures of two liquid components; we now report a series of switchable-polarity solvents that consist, in their low-polarity form, of only a single liquid component, a secondary amine. These solvents operate in a polarity range that is significantly lower than those of previously reported switchable solvents. Application to the separation and purification of a polymer and recovery of a catalyst is described.     

Computational prediction of the properties of bis(ethynylthienyl)dialcoxynaphthalene-based conjugated polymers for organic solar cell applications

A series of homo- ( P0 ) and copolymers ( P1-P5 ) based on the electron-donor building-block 2,2′-(2,3-bis(2-ethylhexyloxy)naphthalene-1,4-diyl)bis(ethyne-2,1-diyl)dithiophene (1,4-NET) including ethynyl linkers aiming to promote coplanarity were designed, and their properties predicted using theoretical methodologies to evaluate their potential in organic solar cell applications. The geometries, FMO levels, energy bandgaps, and absorption spectra of trimer models were determined using time-dependent density functional theory, while their photovoltaic and charge-transport properties were estimated by the Scharber's model and semiclassical Marcus theory, respectively. Compared to high-performance conjugated polymers (CPs), such as PTB7-Th or PM6, and similar systems based on the 1D-BDT unit, the HOMO and LUMO levels of P0-P5 tend to be higher. In addition, the new CPs have complementary absorptions with narrow-bandgap acceptors, such as ITIC and Y6, and adequate matches between their HOMO and LUMO levels. Although the simulated photovoltaic and charge-transport properties could be overestimated, the best candidate to be synthesized and tested in organic solar cells is P5 due to its suitable and well-balanced properties, demonstrating the positive effect of incorporating ethynyl bridges to improve the optoelectronic properties of CPs.