Optically Anomalous Crystals

The optical symmetry of many crystals is lower than would be expected from their external form and X-ray diffraction data. Recently such optical anomalies have been attributed to nonequilibrium structures resulting from kinetically controlled crystal growth. Impurities are incorporated to different extents at various surface sites that would otherwise have become symmetry-related within the bulk crystal. After their discovery by Brewster in 1815, optically anomalous crystals were the subject of lively debate throughout the 19th century among some of the most distinguished contributors to the development of crystallography including Biot, Berzelius, Herschel, Mitscherlich, Frankenheim, Pasteur, Mallard, Klein, Groth, Wyrouboff, Barlow, Brauns, Rinne, Pockels, and Friedel. From a sea of wild speculation two conflicting postulates emerged: that the symmetric form resulted from accidental twinning of segments with lower symmetry, or that the optical peculiarities resulted from stress due to impurities or external perturbations. Neither postulate expresses the present view. Interest in this research waned at the turn of the century, and after 1917 no one pursued Tammann's alternative correct insight. The problem of anomalous double refraction attracted no attention for more than half a century until its recent solution. This review discusses both mineral and organic systems with particular emphasis on the phyllosilicate apophyllite and on 1,5-dichloro-2,3-dinitrobenzene. These nonequilibrium structures relate to questions of crystal order, crystal growth, molecular recognition, and the design of new materials. The review provides a reminder of the enduring value of the polarizing microscope as a research tool in chemistry.     

A simple slurry consolidometer designed for the estimation of the consistency limits of soils

An inexpensive slurry consolidometer design is described that uses porous polyethylene as the permeable barrier for sample dewatering (maximum effective stress of 200 kPa) and permits monitoring of sample pore-water pressures less than 100 kPa with a portable pressure transducer. The instrument is applied in this study to the consolidation-based estimation of the Atterberg soil consistency limits of both agricultural soils and till and glaciolacustrine materials (clay fraction predominantly Ca-saturated illites) sampled from sonic boreholes. All soils originated from southwestern Ontario, Canada. With the normally consolidated (virgin) compression line expressed as a w(logσ') function, the A.S.T.M. liquid and plastic limits of the borehole soils were found to occupy relatively fixed positions on the VCL at mean effective stresses of about 61 kPa and 0.42 MPa, respectively. Marginally plastic and non-plastic soils could be distinguished as having compression line slopes approaching zero. The effective stress at the liquid limit decreased logarithmically from 61 kPa with increasing organic carbon content in the agricultural soils. Consolidated slurries of all soils investigated that were clearly plastic exhibited a mean drop-cone penetration depth of approximately 13 mm at the A.S.T.M. liquid limit, a significant departure from the British Standard of 20 mm. Slurry consolidation can be used as a sample preparation method for measurement of the liquid limit by the drop-cone or one-point A.S.T.M. procedures. It has also shown potential as a procedural alternative for the estimation of both test indices, mostly for geotechnical applications. It is probable that this unified test protocol must be recalibrated for soils where the dominant clay minerals and saturating bases are different from those in this study.     

Raman spectroscopic investigation on the microenvironment of the liver tissues of Zebrafish (Danio rerio) due to titanium dioxide exposure

Nano titanium dioxide (nTiO₂), generally considered to be toxicologically inert, is manufactured in large quantities and extensively applied in consumer products. The small size and large surface area endow them with an active group or intrinsic toxicity. Advances in instrumentation are making Raman spectroscopy the tool of choice for an increasing number of (bio) chemical applications. One of the great advantages of this technique is its ability to provide information on the concentration, structure and interaction of biochemical molecules in their microenvironments within intact cells and tissues, non-destructively. Zebrafish (Danio rerio), one of the most important vertebrate model organisms used in developmental biology, are increasingly used in biomedical research, particularly as a model of human disease. In the present work, an attempt is made to study the effect of titanium dioxide, both nano and bulk, on the microenvironment of the liver tissues of Zebrafish using FT-Raman spectroscopy. The results of the present study suggest that TiO₂ exposure demonstrate a marked influence on the microenvironments of the liver tissues of Zebrafish. A shift to a higher wavenumber and an increase in the intensity of the band at ∼1087 cm⁻¹ in the TiO₂ exposed tissues suggest that some of the conformational changes resulting from the alkali recovery process takes place due to TiO₂ exposure. The decreased intensity ratio (I₃₂₂₀/I₃₄₀₀) observed in the titanium-exposed tissues suggests a decreased water domain size, which could be interpreted in terms of weaker hydrogen-bonded molecular species of water in the TiO₂ exposed tissues. The observed shift of COO⁻ bands to higher frequencies shows the disruption of salt bridges as a result of a change in the oppositely charged partners and due to the enhanced random coil conformation. The variation in the intensity ratio of the tyrosyl doublet (I₈₅₈/I₈₂₅) indicates variation in the hydrogen bonding of the phenolic hydroxyl group due to TiO₂ exposure. The results further suggest that the microenvironments are greatly altered due to titanium nano exposure when compared to titanium bulk. In conclusion, the results indicate that FT-Raman spectroscopy might be a useful tool for rapid assessment of nano particle biological interactions.     

Biocompatible quantum dots for biological applications

Semiconductor quantum dots are quickly becoming a critical diagnostic tool for discerning cellular function at the molecular level. Their high brightness, long-lasting, size-tunable, and narrow luminescence set them apart from conventional fluorescence dyes. Quantum dots are being developed for a variety of biologically oriented applications, including fluorescent assays for drug discovery, disease detection, single protein tracking, and intracellular reporting. This review introduces the science behind quantum dots and describes how they are made biologically compatible. Several applications are also included, illustrating strategies toward target specificity, and are followed by a discussion on the limitations of quantum dot approaches. The article is concluded with a look at the future direction of quantum dots.     

Multi-element analysis of bone from the osteogenesis imperfecta model (OIM) mouse using thermal and fast neutron activation analysis

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a heritable osteoporotic bone disease, due to defects in either type I procollagen genes (COL1A1 or COL1A2), resulting in abnormal and/or reduced levels of type I procollagen and alterations in bone mineralization. Our long term objectives are to evaluate the impact of proα1(I) and proα2(I) collagen mutations and the role of the genetic background on bone mineralization. Tibias from wildtype, heterozygous (oim/+), and homozygous (oim/oim) animals were subjected to instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) to measure F, P, Na, Mg, Cl, Ca, K, and Zn using the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR) pneumatic-tube irradiation facility.     

Cation transport at 25°c from binary Tl+Mn+ and K+Mn+ nitrate mixtures in a H2OCHCl3H2O liquid membrane system containing a series of macrocyclic polyether carriers

Carrier-mediated cation fluxes were determined using a H₂OCHC1₃H₂O liquid merebrane system for TlNO₃ and for binary mixtures of either TlNO₃ or KNO₃ with alkali metal ions, alkaline earth metal ions, and Pb²⁺ (in the case of TlNO₃). Both macrocyclic polyether and cryptand ligands were used as carriers. In Tl⁺Mⁿ⁺ mixtures, selective transport of Tl⁺ was found over all cations studied, except in the cases of Ag⁺ by 2.2 and of Pb²⁺ by 18C6, DC18C6, ClDKP18C6, and 2.2. Generally, K⁺ was transported selectively from K⁺Mⁿ⁺ mixtures, except in the cases of K⁺Tl⁺ mixtures in which Tl⁺ was transported selectively in all cases. A model relating cation flux to log K(CH₃OH) for Mⁿ⁺—macrocycle interaction and to ion-partitioning between the organic and aqueous phases was successful in rationalizing selective cation transport in most of the systems studied.     

Some relations between additive functions,II

Aequationes mathematicae -     

On the system of functional equationsf(x + y) = f(x) + f(y) andf(xy) = p (x)f(y) + q(y)f(x)

Aequationes mathematicae -