A field electrode method for the determination of sulfide

This paper reports the development of a field electrode method for the determination of total sulfide in water. The method involves the use of preweighed sodium sulfide crystals in the standardization process. Sodium sulfide crystals were weighed and sealed in air-tight plastic volumetric flasks. Standards were prepared in the field by adding a sulfide antioxidant buffer to the flasks containing the sulfide crystals and diluting it to mark with deionized deaerated water. Standards of lower concentration were prepared by serial dilutions of first standards.The results of the reproducibility determination revealed that sulfide concentrations as low as 6 ppb could be measured with a reproducibility of better than ±10%.Water samples were collected from a series of lakes in Fort Bend County, Texas (near Houston) and analyzed for sulfide content. The sulfide ion concentrations of these samples were determined directly in the field by use of an Orion Model 407A/F specific meter equipped with a silver/sulfide ion selective electrode in conjunction with a double junction reference electrode.     

Extraction of capsaicins in aerosol defense sprays from fabrics

The use of aerosol defense sprays has increased as a means of self-defense and as a weapon in the commission of a crime. The residue of these sprays is often left behind as physical evidence on a victim's clothing or personal belongings. As the popularity of self-defense weaponry increases, so does the likelihood that it will be encountered in forensic casework. The extraction, recovery from fabrics, and identification of residue from defense sprays is described. The commonly used extraction method of liquid-liquid extraction is compared to solid phase microextraction (SPME) to recover capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin from cotton swabs. The use of SPME resulted in lower limits of detection and greater recovery efficiency when compared to solvent extraction. SPME also provided more consistent recovery and less variability when compared to solvent extraction. The effect of use of various types of evidence packages on the preservation of this type of evidence is also reported. The collection and analysis of hand swabs after normal discharge of pepper spray canisters was studied indicating the low persistence of these compounds on the hands of the person conducting the spraying. Finally, the results of a real case whereby solvent-solvent extraction did not provide the necessary sensitivity for extracting the capsaicin compounds on the garments of a victim of an alleged spraying and the SPME extraction provided the recovery and identification of the compounds is also presented.     

Second-harmonic generation in an optically poled azo-dye/polymer film

The power dependence of the optical poling process of a new azo chromophore in the polymethylmethacrylate matrix at room temperature has been investigated. The existing theory is found to be inconsistent with the experiment. A simple model based on the rate equation is proposed to describe the writing process of the chromophore/polymer system. The measured growth rate and the plateau second-harmonic generation intensity as induced by all optical poling are found to be in good agreement with the prediction of the simple model.     

Rb7[SiO4][VO4]: ein Ortho‐Silicat‐Vanadat(V)

Rb₇[SiO₄][VO₄]: an Ortho‐Silicate‐Vanadate(V) Rb₇[SiO₄][VO₄] has been obtained from a redox reaction between CdO and vanadium metal in the presence of Rb₂O and SiO₂ at 600 °C in an Ag container as yellow‐greenish transparent single crystals. The crystal structure determination (IPDS data: P2₁/c, a = 637.6(1) pm, b = 1039.7(1) pm, c = 2076.8(4) pm, β = 93.21(2)°, Z = 4, wR2 = 0.1319) reveals the presence of isolated complex anions, [SiO₄]^4— and [VO₄]^3—.     

Diastereoselective synthesis of cularine alkaloids via enium ions and an easy entry to isoquinolines by aza-Wittig electrocyclic ring closure

In preliminary communications, we reported the diastereoselective synthesis of cularine and sarcocapnine via the intramolecular ring closure of nitrenium and oxenium ions, a new highly diastereoselective reductive methylation with (+)-8-phenylmenthyl chloroacetate followed by reduction with sodium borohydride, and a facile entry to the isoquinoline precursors by aza-Wittig electrocyclic ring closure. We now report the full details of the syntheses of (+)-O-demethylcularine, (+)-cularine, (+)-sarcocapnidine, (+)-sarcocapnine, and (+)-crassifoline and describe different methods of synthesis of their precursors.     

The crystal structure of di-ortho-tolylmercury

The structure of di-ortho-tolylmercury has been determined by single crystal X-ray methods from counter data. The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c with unit cell dimensions a 10.970(2), b 10.448(3), c 11.409(3) Å; β 115.48(2)°, V 1180.5(5) ų, ?_calc 2.158 g/cm³ and Z = 4. The structure was solved with conventional heavy atom techniques. The crystal consists of individual molecular units with the mercury atom located on the crystallographic 2-fold axis of symmetry. The CHgC fragment is nearly linear with an angle of 178.0(4)°. The methyl groups lie on the same side of the molecule and the rings are twisted with respect to one another by 58.9°. The HgC bond distance is 2.09(1) Å.     

Struktur-Reaktivitäts-Beziehungen bei koordinativ-ungesättigten Chelatkomplexen. VI. Synthese,Adduktbildung, Redoxpotentiale und photochrome lodderivate von Eisen(II)-Komplexen Schiffscher Basen mit elektronenziehenden Substituenten

Structure Reactivity Correlations in Coordinatively Unsaturated Chelate Complexes. VI. Synthesis, Adduct Formation, Redox Potentials, and Photochromic Iodine Derivatives of Iron(II) Complexes with Schiff Base Ligands Possessing Electron-Withdrawing Substituents Iron(II) complexes of the type 1 have been prepared by different synthetic methods. In contrast to similar chelates of the “saloph” and “salen” types, the high-spin complexes 1 form stable high-spin diadducts ( 1a – 1d ) and an unusual triadduct ( 1e ) with pyridine. The oxidation potentials of the Fe^II/Fe^III couple as measured by cyclic voltammetry are dependent on the solvent as well as the equatorial ligand substituents. The potentials are more positive in pyridine than in DMF, indicating a stabilization of Fe^II by pyridine. The redox potentials are discussed with respect to those of other metals in the same ligand environment. The complexes form iodine derivatives which show photochromic behaviour in THF solution. The rate of the reaction with dioxygen in the solid state as well as in pyridine solution decreases in the order 1f > 1a ≈ 1b > 1c ≈ 1d > 1e and correlates with the increasing oxidation potentials.     

Determination of Binding Constants of Polyethylene Glycol Vancomycin Derivatives to Peptide Ligands Using Affinity Capillary Electrophoresis

Vancomycin (Van) from Streptomyces orientalis has been derivatized with polyethylene glycol [PEG; PEG-550 (1), 750 (2), 1,100 (3), 2,000 (4), 5,000 (5), and 8,000 (6) g mol⁻¹] at the N-terminus of the glycopeptide backbone and their binding to d-Ala-d-Ala terminus peptides assessed using affinity capillary electrophoresis (ACE). Utilizing ACE, a plug of Van-PEG and non-interacting standards are injected and electrophoresed. Analysis of the change in the relative migration time ratio of the Van-PEG species, relative to the non-interacting standards, as a function of the concentration of peptide, yields a value for the binding constant (K _b). Values of K _b for N-acetyl-d-Ala-d-Ala, 7 to the Van-PEG derivatives are weaker than those for N _α,N _ε-diacetyl-Lys-d-Ala-d-Ala, 8 (for example, values of K _b for 7-1 and 8-1 are 1.8 and 47.7 × 10³ M⁻¹, respectively). These results demonstrate that derivatization of Van with PEG has little effect on the affinity of d-Ala-d-Ala peptide ligands to it. The findings further prove the versatility of ACE and its ability to estimate binding parameters of ligands to antibiotics.     

Multiplexed hybridizations of positively charge-tagged peptide nucleic acids detected by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Peptide nucleic acid (PNA) is a novel class of DNA analogues in which the entire sugar-phosphate backbone is replaced by a pseudopeptide counterpart. Owing to its neutral character and the consequent lack of electrostatic repulsion, PNA exhibits very stable heteroduplex formation with complementary nucleic acid that is essentially ionic strength independent and enables hybridization under minimum salt conditions. This feature as well as its superior ion stability and easy ionization compared to DNA renders PNA very attractive for hybridization-based matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS) applications. We have developed an approach to DNA characterization that takes advantage of multiplexed PNA hybridizations analyzed by MALDI-TOFMS. Our motivation was the further development of oligonucleotide fingerprinting, an efficient technique for cDNA and genomic DNA library characterization. Through positive 'charge-tagging' of PNA the efficiency of detection in MALDI-TOFMS was considerably enhanced permitting an unparalleled degree of multiplexing. Results from the simultaneous hybridization of 21 charge-tagged PNA hexamer oligonucleotides showed that genomic DNA and cDNA clones are successfully characterized on the basis of their hybridization profiles. The degree of multiplexing achieved may render a significant increase in throughput and hence efficiency of oligonucleotide fingerprinting possible.