A New Versatile Water‐Soluble Iniferter Platform for the Preparation of Molecularly Imprinted Nanoparticles by Photopolymerisation in Aqueous Media

The multi‐step synthesis of a new water‐soluble dithiocarbamate iniferter platform for the preparation of nanoparticles and ‐gels in aqueous solvents by photoinduced living‐radical polymerisation is described herein. The water solubility of the dithiocarbamate iniferter was achieved by incorporating two unprotected glucose units into the iniferter structure by copper(I)‐catalysed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (“click chemistry”). Molecularly imprinted nanoparticles (MIPs) specific for 2,4‐dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and the corresponding non‐imprinted particles (NIPs) were prepared in pure water by using the prepared iniferter as photoinitiator. Radioligand binding tests confirmed a high imprinting factor, and the living character of the iniferter was demonstrated by re‐initiating a second photochemical polymerisation on the NIP nanoparticles in water by using ethylene glycol methacrylate phosphate. Our newly synthesised structure is a promising tool for iniferter‐mediated photopolymerisations in aqueous media for the preparation of biocompatible nanomaterials with high potential for biomedical applications in a bottom‐up fashion.     

Visible light activated photo-catalytic effect and local structure of iron silicate glass prepared by sol-gel method

A relationship between methylene blue (MB) decomposition ability under visible light and local structure of xFe₂O₃·(100-x)SiO₂ glass abbreviated as xFS prepared by sol-gel method was investigated by ⁵⁷Fe-Mössbauer spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and ultraviolet-visible light absorption spectroscopy (UV-Vis). Mössbauer spectra of xFS glass with x of 10, 30 and 50 annealed at 1000 °C for 3 h were mainly composed of a paramagnetic doublet due to fayalite (Fe₂SiO₄), and magnetic sextets due to magnetite (Fe₃O₄) or hematite (α-Fe₂O₃). The absorption area (A) of α-Fe₂O₃ gradually increased from 0.0 to 10.3 and 100 % with the increasing Fe₂O₃ content (x) of annealed xFS glass. A leaching test performed by 20 mL of MB aqueous solution and 40 mg of annealed 50FS glass showed that MB concentration decreased from 16.2 to 4.7 μmol L^?1 after 2 h with the first order rate constant of 1.8 × 10^?4 s^?1. These results prove that annealed iron silicate glass containing α-Fe₂O₃ can decompose MB effectively under visible light irradiation.     

Carbon black and propylene oxidation over Ru/CoxMgyAl2Oz catalysts

The effects of Co_xMg_yAl₂O_z mixed oxides composition and ruthenium addition on the oxidation of propylene and carbon black (CB) were investigated. Different reactive cobalt and ruthenium oxide species were formed following calcination at 600 °C. The addition of ruthenium was beneficial for the CB oxidation under “loose contact” conditions and for propylene oxidation when the cobalt content was intermediate to low. The calculated activation energy for CB oxidation was decreased from 151 kJ mol⁻¹ for the uncatalyzed reaction to 111 kJ mol⁻¹ over the best catalyst.     

A high-sensitivity ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HR-TOFMS) method for screening synthetic cannabinoids and other drugs of abuse in urine

The continuing emergence of designer drugs imposes high demands on the scope and sensitivity of toxicological drug screening procedures. An ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HR-TOFMS) method was developed for screening and simultaneous confirmation of both designer drugs and other drugs of abuse in urine samples in a single run. The method covered selected synthetic cannabinoids and cathinones, amphetamines, natural cannabinoids, opioids, cocaine and other important drugs of abuse, together with their main urinary metabolites. The database consisted of 277 compounds with molecular formula and exact monoisotopic mass; retention time was included for 192 compounds, and primary and secondary qualifier ion exact mass for 191 and 95 compounds, respectively. Following a solid-phase extraction, separation was performed by UHPLC and mass analysis by HR-TOFMS. MS, and broad-band collision-induced dissociation data were acquired at m/z range 50–700. Compound identification was based on a reverse database search with acceptance criteria for retention time, precursor ion mass accuracy, isotopic pattern and abundance of qualifier ions. Mass resolving power in spiked urine samples was on average FWHM 23,500 and mass accuracy 0.3 mDa. The mean and median cut-off concentrations determined for 75 compounds were 4.2 and 1 ng/mL, respectively. The range of cut-off concentrations for synthetic cannabinoids was 0.2–60 ng/mL and for cathinones 0.7–15 ng/mL. The method proved to combine high sensitivity and a wide scope in a manner not previously reported in drugs of abuse screening. The method’s feasibility was demonstrated with 50 authentic urine samples.

Quick supramolecular solvent-based microextraction for quantification of low curcuminoid content in food

There is a need to monitor the consumption of curcuminoids, an EU-permitted natural colour in food, to ensure that acceptable daily intakes are not exceeded, especially by young children. This paper describes a sensitive method able to quantify low contents of curcumin (CUR), demethoxycurcumin (DMC) and bis-demethoxycurcumin (BDMC) in foodstuffs. The method was based on a single-step extraction by use of a supramolecular solvent (SUPRAS) made up of reverse aggregates of decanoic acid, and direct analysis of the extract by use of liquid chromatography–photodiode array (PDA) detection. The extraction involved the stirring of 200 mg foodstuff with 600 μL SUPRAS for 15 min. No cleanup or concentration of the extracts was required. Curcuminoid solubilisation occurred via dispersion and hydrogen bonding. The method was used for the determination of curcuminoids in different types of foodstuff (snack, gelatine, yoghurt, mayonnaise, butter, candy and fish products) that encompassed a wide range of protein, fat, carbohydrate, sugar and water contents (0.85–11.04, 0–81.11, 0.06–75, 0.06–79.48, and 10.08–85.10 g, respectively, in each 100 g of food). Method quantification limits for the foodstuffs analysed were in the ranges 2.9–7.7, 2.8–11.2 and 3.3–9.0 μg kg^?1 for CUR, DMC and BDMC, respectively. The concentrations of curcuminoids detected in the foodstuffs and the recoveries obtained from fortified samples were in the ranges ND–284, ND–201 and ND–61.3 μg kg^?1, and 82–106, 89–106 and 90–102 %, for CUR, DMC and BDMC, respectively. The relative standard deviations were in the range 2–7 %. This method enabled quick and simple microextraction of curcuminoids with minimal solvent consumption, while delivering accurate and precise data.

Magnetic and transport properties of Ln1–xSrxCoO3 perovskite materials (Ln= La, Nd, Gd) prepared by low-temperature synthetic routes

We have used three soft-chemistry methods for the efficient preparation of Ln_1−xSr_xCoO₃ samples, adapting the combustion and the liquid-mix methods for the synthesis of the Ln = La and Gd compounds, respectively, and the preparation of Nd_1−xSr_xCoO₃ by the nitrate decomposition method. We report the magnetic and electrical properties of these relatively small particle-size materials, specially in the case of the Ln = La and Ln = Nd series (d≈0.2 μm and 0.5 μm, respectively), and we compare them to those displayed by the corresponding compounds prepared at higher temperatures. The compounds here obtained are ferromagnetic for x≥0.15 when Ln = La and for x≥0.20 when Ln = Nd and Gd. Their resistivity decreases as the doping degree increases. And, very interestingly, for compositions 0.20<x≤0.45, when Ln = La, and for x=0.40, when Ln = Nd, they show M-I transitions as the temperature rises. These are very sensitive to the application of electrical current and its polarity and the presence of magnetic fields, displaying peculiar behaviors. Paper presented at the 5th Euroconference on Solid State Ionics, Benalmádena, Spain, Sept. 13–20, 1998.     

Investigating the vortex melting phenomenon in BSCCO crystals using magneto-optical imaging technique

Using a novel differential magneto-optical imaging technique we investigate the phenomenon of vortex lattice melting in crystals of Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O₈ (BSCCO). The images of melting reveal complex patterns in the formation and evolution of the vortex solid-liquid interface with varying field (H)/temperature (T). We believe that the complex melting patterns are due to a random distribution of material disorder/inhomogeneities across the sample, which create fluctuations in the local melting temperature or field value. To study the fluctuations in the local melting temperature/field, we have constructed maps of the melting landscape T _m(H, r), viz., the melting temperature (T _m) at a given location (r) in the sample at a given field (H). A study of these melting landscapes reveals an unexpected feature: the melting landscape is not fixed, but changes rather dramatically with varying field and temperature along the melting line. It is concluded that the changes in both the scale and shape of the landscape result from the competing contributions of different types of quenched disorder which have opposite effects on the local melting transition.