The Pt-catalyzed carboselenation of alkynes by selenoesters

[reaction: see text] The Pt-catalyzed carboselenation of terminal alkynes with selenoesters provided vinylselenides regio- and stereoselectively in moderate yields.     

Survey of residual tetracyclines in kidneys of diseased animals in Aichi Prefecture, Japan (1985-1997)

A survey was conducted to determine the incidence of tetracycline antibiotic (TCAs) residues in the kidneys of slaughtered animals that did not pass inspection for human consumption by the Japanese Food Sanitation Law and the Meat Inspection Law at the slaughterhouses in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, from April 1985 to March 1998. The kidneys were analyzed by the AOAC Official Method 995.09. Among 424 animals (147 cattle and 277 pigs), 131 (30.9%) were contaminated with TCAs, including 69 (16.3%) with chlortetracycline (CTC), 61 (14.4%) with oxytetracycline (OTC), 3 (0.7%) with tetracycline (TC), and 1 (0.2%) with doxycycline (DC). One sample (cattle kidney) was contaminated with both OTC and DC. The frequencies of OTC and TC residues were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in cattle than in pigs, whereas, the frequency of CTC was significantly higher (p < 0.01) in pigs. Pig kidney samples collected in 1991-1997 had significantly higher incidences of TCAs and CTC (p < 0.01) residues than those in 1985-1986.     

Submillimeter-wave ESR measurements of Ca1−xCuO2 (x = 0.164) with edge-sharing CuO2 chains

Quasi-one-dimensional (1-D) cupric oxide Ca_1?xCuO₂ (x = 0.164) is the system with 25–40% hole-doped edge-sharing CuO₂ chains. However, the holes are almost localized in Ca_1?xCuO₂ and its magnetic susceptibility with a peak at 30 K was explained by the model considering both 1-D antiferromagnetic chains and spin dimers (Z. Hiroi, M. Okumura, Y. Nabeshima, T. Yamada, M. Takano: J. Phys. Soc. Jpn.69, 1824, 2000). To clarify the magnetic nature of Ca_1?xCuO₂, we performed submillimeter-wave electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements on a powder sample of Ca_0.83?6CuO₂. The resonance above 12 K showed typical powder ESR of Cu²⁺ and theg-values were determined to be g∥= 2.33 and g_⊥ = 2.06 from the analysis. The resonance below 12 K changed completely from ESR. The frequency-field relation of ESR at 1.8 K clearly showed the easy-axis type antiferromagnetic resonance.     

Non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis of p-quinone anion radicals.

The electrophoretic detection of two kinds of p-quinone anion radicals arising from the electrolysis of benzoquinone and chloranil was achieved by employing an acetonitrile medium. Sufficient dehydration of a running solution was necessary for the detection of the benzoquinone anion radical. Oxygen in the running solution also caused a serious decrease in the amount of the benzoquinone anion radical during electrophoresis. The addition of methanol as a hydrogen-donor decreased the electrophoretic mobility of the benzoquinone anion radical significantly, while that of the chloranil anion radical was little changed. This result is interpreted in terms of hydrogen-bonding interaction between the p-quinone anion radicals and methanol, reflecting the magnitude of their proton-accepting ability (benzoquinone anion radical > chloranil anion radical).     

Functionalized pyrolytic highly oriented graphite polymer film for surface‐assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry in environmental analysis

The pyrolytic highly oriented graphite polymer film (PGS) was first employed to analyze low‐mass analytes in environmental analysis by surface‐assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (SALDI‐MS). PGS is a synthetic uniform and highly oriented graphite polymer film with high thermal anisotropic conductivity. We have found that negative ion mode SALDI‐MS using oxidized PGS (PGS‐SALDI‐MS) can be used to detect [M–H]^? ions from perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and other perfluoroalkylcarboxylic acids when the PGS surface is modified with the cationic polymer polyethyleneimine (PEI). The signal intensity of PFOA when employing the PEI modification showed a ten‐fold increase over that obtained from desorption/ionization on porous silicon (DIOS). PFOA was quantified using PGS‐SALDI‐MS and the calibration curve showed a wide linear dynamic range of response (20–1000 ppb). The combination of atmospheric pressure ionization and PGS (AP‐PGS‐SALDI) showed greater signal intensity than vacuum PGS‐SALDI for deprotonated PFOA. Several other environmentally important chemicals, including perfluoroalkylsulfonic acid, pentachlorophenol, bisphenol A, 4‐hydroxy‐2‐chlorobiphenyl, and benzo[a]pyrene, were also successfully used to evaluate PGS‐SALDI‐MS. In addition, we found that nonafluoro‐1‐butanesulfonic acid was able to produce protonated peptides in positive ion PGS‐SALDI‐MS, but that perfluoropentanoic acid and trifluoroacetic acid were not. It is suggested that perfluoroalkylsulfonic acids are better protonating agents than perfluoroalkylcarboxylic acids in SALDI‐MS. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Application of a coated-wire electrode to an acetylcholine sensor

An acetylcholine sensor was constructed with acetylcholinesterase which was immobilized on a hydrogen ion-selective coated-wire electrode and fundamental properties of this sensor were investigated. Acetylcholine could be determined in the range 0.1–10 rum with response times of 3–10 min. The effects of pH and concentration of buffer solution on the determination and fluctuations in the data obtained with this sensor were also investigated. Possibilities for the practical use of this acetylcholine micro-sensor are suggested.     

A simple and rapid in situ preconcentration method for the determination of phosphate in environmental waters by use of solid-phase extraction, and its applications to brackish lake waters

A simple and rapid in situ preconcentration method for the determination of phosphate in environmental waters has been developed for field analysis. This method is based on solid-phase extraction on a zirconium-loaded Sep-Pack Accell CM cartridge (Zr-SP) and is applicable to studies in which sampling is performed by use of a graduated syringe to prevent contamination and to ensure easy operation at sampling sites. The Zr-SP cartridge was prepared by passing 0.1 mol L^–1 zirconium solution through a Sep-Pak Accell CM cartridge, packed with cation exchange sorbent based on a silica matrix. The adsorption of phosphate and its desorption depend only on the pH of the solution. A water sample containing phosphate was adjusted to pH 2 and passed through the Zr-SP cartridge to collect it. The retained phosphate was quantitatively eluted with 0.5 mol L^–1 sodium hydroxide solution. The phosphate retained in the Zr-SP cartridge was stable for at least one month. The established preconcentration method was successfully applied to brackish lake waters to investigate seasonal changes in the distribution and behavior of phosphate in a brackish lake.     

The scalar curvature of CR submanifolds of maximal CR dimension of complex projective space

We treat n-dimensional compact minimal submanifolds of complex projective space when the maximal holomorphic tangent subspace is (n − 1)-dimensional and we give a sufficient condition for such submanifolds to be tubes over totally geodesic complex subspaces. Authors’ addresses: Mirjana Djorić, Faculty of Mathematics, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 16, pb. 550, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; Masafumi Okumura, 5-25-25 Minami Ikuta, Tama-ku, Kawasaki, Japan     

Theoretical studies on magnetic interactions between Cu(II) ions in hydroxypyridone nucleobases

The origin of a ferromagnetic interaction between Cu²⁺ ions in the Cu²⁺–DNA system which reported by Tanaka et al. is examined by using DFT calculations. In order to consider effects of an entanglement and a dis-entanglement of the double helix chain, three types of structural disorders i.e. distance, rotation angle and discrepancy in XY-plane, are considered in the model dimer structure. All calculated results show that J_ab values are weak anti-ferromagnetic couplings. Boltzmann distribution simulation indicates that the high spin (HS) species exist 21% at 1.5 K by thermal excitation within the model structure.