Adaptive approach for nonlinear sensitivity analysis of reaction kinetics

We present a unified approach for linear and nonlinear sensitivity analysis for models of reaction kinetics that are stated in terms of systems of ordinary differential equations (ODEs). The approach is based on the reformulation of the ODE problem as a density transport problem described by a Fokker-Planck equation. The resulting multidimensional partial differential equation is herein solved by extending the TRAIL algorithm originally introduced by Horenko and Weiser in the context of molecular dynamics (J. Comp. Chem. 2003, 24, 1921) and discussed it in comparison with Monte Carlo techniques. The extended TRAIL approach is fully adaptive and easily allows to study the influence of nonlinear dynamical effects. We illustrate the scheme in application to an enzyme-substrate model problem for sensitivity analysis w.r.t. to initial concentrations and parameter values.     

Measurement of biological parameters during fermentation processes

Efficient fermentation control requires the measurement of biological parameters. Three techniques were tested for monitoring. In the first, the NADH-fluorescence of micro-organisms was measured in batch and in continuous cultures under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, providing information on the metabolic status of the cells. The effects of cell concentration and of different substrates (glucose, ethanol and oxygen) were studied. The second technique is the calorimetric determination of various substrates, such as penicillin or enzymes, by an enzyme/thermistor device. With immobilized penicillin acylase (E.C. 3.5.1.11) or penicillinase (E.C. 3.5.2.6), penicillin was determined selectively in a fermentation broth. The thermistor was also used to measure penicillin acylase activity. The third technique is laser flow cytometry. A commercial double-beam flow cytometry system was used to determine cell size, light scattering and the protein, DNA and RNA contents of single cells. Flow cytometry allows rapid and sensitive control of fermentation processes with genetically modified E. coli 5K (pHM12) cells. The results of monitoring the cell size, light scattering, and protein and DNA contents of different micro-organisms during fermentation are outlined.     

The effect of electronegative atoms on the structures of hydrocarbons. ab initio calculations on molecules containing fluorine or (carbonyl) oxygen

A series of ab initio calculations have been carried out, using the 4-21G basis set. Ethane and propane were first studied to obtain reference points. The effect of adding an electronegative atom (fluorine, or carbonyl oxygen) onto the framework was then studied as a function of the torsional angle about the single bond. Some pronounced trends in structural changes were observed, and these can in part be correlated with hyperconjugative effects. For example, fluoroethane has bond lengths which are shorter than those in ethane itself, by 0.024 Åin the C C bond, and 0.003 Åin the α C H bonds. These changes are essentially torsionally independent. On the other hand, in propionaldehyde, the C C bond length of the methyl group and the C H bond lengths of the hydrogens attached to the alpha carbon vary as a function of the torsion angle. If the methyl C C bond in the carbonyl plane is taken as a reference, the bond stretches .016 Åwhen the torsion angle is increased to 90°, an α C H bond similarly stretches up to .007 Å. Many of these geometric changes are large, well beyond the experimental errors in modern measurements.     

Zur Verbrennung fluor-, phosphor- und metallhaltiger Verbindungen mit einem CHN-Automaten

Zusammenfassung Durch Hinzunahme von Magnesiumoxid zur Verbrennungsrohrfüllung wird der Anwendungsbereich des CHN-Automaten auf fluor- und phosphorhaltige Proben erweitert. Diese beiden Elemente werden im wesentlichen in der Magnesiumoxidzone der Füllung gebunden. Bei manchen phosphorhaltigen Verbindungen macht die geringe Pyrolysegeschwindigkeit einen längeren Analysezyklus notwendig. Die längere Verbrennungszeit wird durch eine Reduzierung des Gasstromes ermöglicht. Bei metallhaltigen Proben geben alle Verbindungen, deren Metalle unter den herrschenden Bedingungen definierte Rückstände bilden, ohne besondere Maßnahmen gute Werte. Die Bildung carbonathaltiger Rückstände bei Alkali und Erdalkali wird meistens von der Apparatur als solche registriert.

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Summary The field of application of the CHN-automatic combustion devices is extended to samples containing fluorine and phosphorus by including magnesium oxide in the filling of the combustion tube. These two elements are essentially bound in the magnesium oxide zone. Many compounds containing phosphorus make it necessary to reduce the speed of the gas stream because of the low pyrolysis velocity. When samples containing metals are being analyzed, excellent results are obtained with all compounds whose metals yield definite residues under the prevailing conditions. The formation of residues containing carbonate in the case of alkali and alkaline earths is usually registered as such by the apparatus.

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Die Firma Technicon hat uns für diese Untersuchungen dankenswerterweise einen CHN-Analyzer zur Verfügung gestellt.     

Zum Mechanismus der Thermischen Dehydratisierung von Natriumdihydrogenphosphat

Mechanism of Thermal Dehydration of Sodium Dihydrogenphosphate The thermal dehydration of sodium dihydrogenphosphate (P₁) to sodium cyclotriphosphate (CP₃) and sodium polyphosphate, the so-called Maddrell's salt (MS), is controlled by nucleation and crystallization of CP₃ and MS, respectively. The wellknown influence of various formation conditions on the CP₃:MS product ratio is caused by amorphous and crystalline intermediate phases and their ability to form CP₃ or MS nuclei. On seeding P₁ with CP₃ or MS the dehydration proceeds structure-controlled via dihydrogendiphosphate to pure CP₃ or pure MS. The particularities of thermal dehydration of crystalline sodium dihydrogendiphosphate, and also the dehydration and reorganization of sodium phosphate glasses (Na:P = 1:1) with different mean chain lengths, under formation of CP₃ or MS are described.     

The role of the π-bonding network for trigonal level splittings of tris-bidentate Cr(acac)3 and Cr(ox) 3 3−

The varying -bonding contributions in the title compounds caused by the different electronic and molecular structure of the chelate rings are used for explaining the large band splittings in the absorption spectra by trigonal symmetry. It is shown that usual ligand field theory and the angular overlap model are not able to account for the trigonal level splitting of Cr(acac)₃ for which the coordination sphere of oxygen atoms is nearly octahedrally arranged. The experimental finding can, however, be rationalized by an extended angular overlap model which considers the phase coupling of -orbitals in the ligands leading to non-additive contributions to the metal-ligand bond energy.On leave of absence from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria     

Theory of chirality functions,generalized for molecules with chiral ligands

The theory of chirality functions described in a previous publication is generalized to allow for chiral ligands. In the earlier theory, all symmetry operations of the molecular frame could be thought of as permutations of the ligands among the sites; in the present work, improper rotations not only permute the ligands, but convert them into mirror images. The group that generates all isomers from a given ordered molecule belonging to a frame with n sites is now the hyperoctahedral group of order 2ⁿ n! consisting of all possible combinations of permutations and site reflections. The representation theory of these groups is described, and applied to the problem of constructing qualitatively complete chirality functions, and of deciding which ligand partitions, and which isomer mixtures, are chiral. It is found useful to classify chiral representations of the covering group as ligand specific and class specific. The ligand specific representations describe chiral properties which are common to all frames and arise purely from the chirality of the ligands, while the class specific representations describe the chiral properties of the frame. A number of examples are explicitly worked out.     

Zur Darstellung von Imidazolidin-thionen-(4) und Imidazolin-(3)-thionen-(5)

Zusammenfassung 2,2,5-Trisubstituierte Imidazolidin-thione-(4) lassen sich mittels Schwefels mit guten Ausbeuten zu Imidazolin-(3)-thionen-(5) dehydrieren. Hierüber sowie über einige Verbesserungen der bisher bekannten Synthesen für insbesondere 2,2,5-trisubstituierte Imidazolidin-thione-(4) wird berichtet.

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Dehydration of 2.2.5-trisubstituted imidazolidine-(4)-thiones with elementary sulfur gives in good yields 3-imidazoline-(5)-thiones. This reaction and improved methods of the well known syntheses of especially 2.2.5-trisubstituted imidazolidine-(4)-thiones are described.

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Mitt.:F. Asinger, W. Schäfer undH. Triem, Mh. Chem.97, 1510 (1966).

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Teil der Dissertation vonH. Meisel, Techn. Hochschule Aachen, 1963.

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Teil der Dipl.-Arbeit vonHilde Kersten, Techn. Hochschule Aachen, 1963, und Teil der Dissertation vonHilde Kersten, Techn. Hochschule Aachen, 1965.     

Mass spectrometric analysis of androstan-17β-ol-3-one and androstadiene-17β-ol-3-one isomers

Mass spectrometric identification and characterization of steroids using electrospray ionization and tandem mass spectrometry has advantages in drug testing and doping control analysis attributable to limitations of gas chromatography followed by electron ionization mass spectrometry. Steroids with an androstadiene-17beta-ol-3-one nucleus and double bonds located either at C-1 and C-4, C-4 and C-9, or C-4 and C-6 were used to determine characteristic fragmentation pathways. Diagnostic dissociation routes are proposed using deuterium labeling, MS3 experiments, and analyses of structurally closely related compounds. Steroids such as boldenone (androst-1,4-diene-17beta-ol-3-one) produced characteristic product ions at m/z 121, 135, and 147. Compounds with double bonds at C-4 and C-9 generated abundant product ions at m/z 145 and 147. Conjugated double bonds at C-4 and C-6 gave rise to an intense and characteristic signal at m/z 133. Stereochemical differentiation between 5alpha- and 5beta-isomers of androstan-17beta-ol-3-ones was possible because of significant differences in relative abundance of product ions generated by elimination of acetone from alpha,beta-saturated 3-keto steroids.     

Anab initio investigation of Cu2Se and Cu4Se2

Summary Experimentally known copper selenium clusters show extraordinary geometrical features, especially short Cu-Cu distances. We report the first theoretical investigation of Cu₂Se and Cu₄Se₂. Various quantum chemical methods (SCF, MP2, CPF, CCSD, CCSD(T), LDF) are applied to determine the importance of dynamic electron correlation. We find that inclusion of correlation does not essentially change the electronic structure of the clusters but has a strong influence on geometries. To reduce the computational effort we apply effective core potentials (ECPs) in combination with small, but carefully optimized basis sets. The applicability of simple modellings of correlation energies for approximate inclusion of correlation effects in SCF geometry optimizations is tested.