Gradient corrections in density functional theory calculations for surfaces: Co on Pd{110}

Ab initio total energy calculations have been performed for CO chemisorption on Pd{110}. Local density approximation (LDA) calculations yield chemisorption energies which are significantly higher than experimental values but inclusion of the generalised gradient approximation (GGA) gives better agreement. In general, sites with higher coordination of the adsorbate to surface atoms lead to a larger degree of overbinding with LDA, and give larger corrections with GGA. The reason is discussed using a first-order perturbation approximation. It is concluded that this may be a general failure of LDA for chemisorption energy calculations. This conclusion may be extended to many surface calculations, such as potential energy surfaces for diffusion.     

Native and stearic acid modified ceria-zirconia supports in normal and reversed-phase HPLC

Porous ceria-zirconia composite with narrow particle size distribution and large specific surface area was synthesized by a sol-gel process. Chromatographic properties of the native supports was investigated in normal phase mode for the separation of test mixtures of basic, neutral and acidic compounds. The new packing material exhibited polar and basic properties, which are suitable for the separation of basic compounds. Lypophilic packing has been obtained by the modification of the ceria-zirconia with stearic acid, which exhibited strong hydrophobicity relative to the native packing. Therefore, the modified ceria-zirconia behaves as a reversed-phase packing material. Different selectivity towards basic compounds was observed on the new packing compared to the native ceria-zirconia and conventional ODS stationary phase.     

Determination of buprenorphine by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection: application to human and rabbit pharmacokinetic studies.

A rapid, sensitive, precise and accurate high-performance liquid chromatographic assay with fluorescence detection was developed for the determination of buprenorphine in human, rabbit, pig and dog plasma. It is comprised of only a one-step extraction procedure with hexane-isoamyl alcohol at pH 9.25 and reversed-phase chromatography on a muPorasil column. The recoveries of buprenorphine and nalbuphine (internal standard) were greater than 90%. Calibration graphs were linear over the concentration range 3-300 ng/ml with a coefficient of variation, both within-day and between-day, of less than 9% at any level. The limit of detection was 1.0 ng/ml of plasma based on a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. Eight other clinically used narcotics were investigated to check for potential interferences and their analytical conditions. The possible decomposed compounds of buprenorphine were also checked for the specificity of this assay. The method has been successfully applied to the stability and pharmacokinetic studies of buprenorphine. Buprenorphine in plasma did not decompose significantly at -20 degrees C for four weeks. Pharmacokinetic application in six rabbits and a surgical patient revealed that buprenorphine followed a linear three-compartment model with two distribution phases. The two distribution and elimination half-lives and the clearance of buprenorphine were 1.32, 24.8 and 230 min and 224 ml/min in human plasma, and 0.94, 12.5 and 232 min and 30 ml/min in rabbit plasma.     

Kinetics of zinc and cadmium dissociation of metallothionein in the presence of chelating agents

The dissociation kinetics of metal ions from native metallothionein (Cd₅Zn₂-MT) of rat liver has been studied in the presence of external ligands including amino acids, peptide and polyamino polycarboxylic acids at 25°C. The study shows that the solution pH affects the metal dissociation process. Different ligands present different multiphasic kinetics. The possible mechanism of metal dissociation from metallothionein has been proposed.     

Mass spectrometry-based chemical mapping and profiling toward molecular understanding of diseases in precision medicine

Precision medicine has been strongly promoted in recent years. It is used in clinical management for classifying diseases at the molecular level and for selecting the most appropriate drugs or treatments to maximize efficacy and minimize adverse effects. In precision medicine, an in-depth molecular understanding of diseases is of great importance. Therefore, in the last few years, much attention has been given to translating data generated at the molecular level into clinically relevant information. However, current developments in this field lack orderly implementation. For example, high-quality chemical research is not well integrated into clinical practice, especially in the early phase, leading to a lack of understanding in the clinic of the chemistry underlying diseases. In recent years, mass spectrometry (MS) has enabled significant innovations and advances in chemical research. As reported, this technique has shown promise in chemical mapping and profiling for answering “what”, “where”, “how many” and “whose” chemicals underlie the clinical phenotypes, which are assessed by biochemical profiling, MS imaging, molecular targeting and probing, biomarker grading disease classification, etc. These features can potentially enhance the precision of disease diagnosis, monitoring and treatment and thus further transform medicine. For instance, comprehensive MS-based biochemical profiling of ovarian tumors was performed, and the results revealed a number of molecular insights into the pathways and processes that drive ovarian cancer biology and the ways that these pathways are altered in correspondence with clinical phenotypes. Another study demonstrated that quantitative biomarker mapping can be predictive of responses to immunotherapy and of survival in the supposedly homogeneous group of breast cancer patients, allowing for stratification of patients. In this context, our article attempts to provide an overview of MS-based chemical mapping and profiling, and a perspective on their clinical utility to improve the molecular understanding of diseases for advancing precision medicine.

An overview of MS-based chemical mapping and profiling, indicating its contributions to the molecular understanding of diseases in precision medicine by answering "what", "where", "how many" and "whose” chemicals underlying clinical phenotypes.     

Optimization of the abnormal Beckmann rearrangement: application to steroid 17-oximes

A novel and practical procedure was developed for the abnormal Beckmann rearrangement of steroid 17-oximes. Treatment of the 17-oximes with TFA/CH(OMe)(3) in boiling THF for 2 h gives the corresponding 13,17-seco alkene nitrile products in unprecedented high yields (70-92%). Since the alkene nitriles can be subsequently converted into 18-norsteroids, this general method provides a highly efficient route to these biologically important compounds and, by extension, to other structurally related natural products.     

Near-infrared fluorimetric determination of nucleic acids by shifting the ion-association equilibrium between heptamethylene cyanine and Alcian blue 8GX

A new method based on near-infrared (near-IR) fluorescence recovery, employing a two-reagent system which is composed of an anionic heptamethylene cyanine (HMC) and a polycationic phthalocyanine dye, Alcian blue 8GX, is presented for the determination of nucleic acids. With a maximum excitation wavelength at 766 nm and a maximum emission wavelength at 796 nm, the fluorescence recovery is linear with the concentration of nucleic acids added. Factors including the acidity of the medium, the reaction time, the optimal ratio of the two reagents, as well as the influence of foreign substance were all investigated. Meanwhile, the mechanism of fluorescence recovery was also studied. Under the optimal conditions, the linear ranges of the calibration curves were 10-250 ng ml⁻¹ for calf thymus DNA (CT DNA) and 10-200 ng ml⁻¹ for yeast RNA. The detection limits were 6.8 ng ml⁻¹ for CT DNA and 6.3 ng ml⁻¹ for yeast RNA, respectively. The method has been applied to the analysis of practical samples and the recovery results were satisfactory.     

Theoretical study of the surface energy and electronic structure of pyrite FeS2 (100) using a total-energy pseudopotential method, CASTEP

The geometric and electronic structures of FeS(2) (100) surface have been studied by a quantum-mechanical calculation using a total-energy pseudopotential code, CASTEP. The (100) surface is very stable and does not give any significant geometric relaxation. The electronic structure of FeS(2) (100) surface is characterized by the appearance of new native surface states in the bulk band gap, which correspond to antibonding mixed Fea-Ssp(3) states. These surface states play an important role as mediators of electron transfer on both anodic and cathodic sites in the incipient oxidation of pyrite. Moreover, the (100) surface has small band gaps and shows some metallic character. It is predicted that the rate of cathodic reductive reaction of O(2) in the incipient oxidation of pyrite is much faster than previously considered. The transport of electrons from the anodic sites to the cathodic sites on the (100) surface is faster and hole injection of anodic sites is not the rate-determining step. So we can deduce that the rate-determining step of incipient oxidation for pyrite consists of both electron transfer of pyrite/aqueous O(2) interface and the splitting of H(2)O.     

Electron energy loss studies of room-temperature co adsorption on Cu(100) induced by electron or ion irradiation

A custom-built multi-technique portable spectrometer was used to study the vibrational (and electronic) excitations associated with the “anomalous” CO adsorption recently observed on clean and oxidized Cu(100) surfaces at room temperature. Results from the electron energy loss (and thermal desorption) experiments have provided strong evidence for in-situ CO production induced by low-energy electron or ion irradiation of CO or C₂H₄ on Cu(100). In particular, the C-O vibrational stretch frequency for the room-temperature CO adsorption was found to be red-shifted by 9 meV from its nominal position (259 meV) and could be observed even at temperature as high as 420 K. Several plausible mechanisms involving coadsorbate interactions with CO on metal surfaces have been discussed. A direct interaction model involving partial bonding between CO, adsorbed on an atop site, and a coadsorbed O atom in a four-fold hollow site was found to be adequate in explaining the observed red shift and the apparent stabilization of CO on Cu(100) at room temperature.