Comparative characterization study of microporous carbons by HRTEM image analysis and gas adsorption

The present work presents a useful comparison of micropore size distributions (MPSDs) obtained from gas adsorption and image analysis of high-resolution transmission electron micrographs. It is shown that the MPSD obtained for a chemical activated carbon is concordant with that obtained from CO2 adsorption. In addition, this technique has allowed us to obtain the MPSD of a carbon molecular sieve (CMS) prepared in our laboratory by a copyrolysis process, which could only be characterized by CO2 adsorption at 273 K (not by N2 adsorption at 77 K due to diffusional problems). The MPSD obtained by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) for the CMS is wider than that obtained by CO2 adsorption, suggesting that HRTEM is detecting the closed porosity existing in this sample, which is not accessible to gas adsorption. The existence of closed porosity in the CMS is explained considering the preparation method used. Thus, HRTEM combined with image analysis seems to be useful for structural analysis of narrow micropores including closed porosity.     

Two organometallic fragments inclusioned in a 1,3-alternate calix[4]arene tetraphosphane: evidence for transition metal-arene interaction through the cavity

The preparation of an 1,3-alternate calix[4]arene tetraphosphane ligand, 25,26,27,28-tetrakis{2-(diphenylphosphino)ethoxy}calix[4]arene (4), is described. Ligand 4 is obtained in four steps in 17% overall yield. Reaction of 4 with AgBF4 produced the encapsulated two silver complex [Ag2{(P,P,P,P)-tetraphencalix[4]arene}](BF4)2. The solid-state structure shows that the encapsulated silver undergoes a substantial pi-interaction by two opposite arene rings. Rhodation of 4 employing [Rh(cot)2]BF4 yielded the encapsulated complex with a bent coordination mode. Two organometallic fragments inclusioned inside a 1,3-alternate calix[4]arene tetraphosphane was also achieved by the reaction of 4 with [PtH(PPh3)2 (thf)]+. Full characterization includes X-ray structural studies of compounds 4-6.     

Theoretical determination of chromophores in the chromogenic effects of aromatic neurotoxicants

We report the first computational study of the chromophores responsible for the chromogenic effects of aromatic neurotoxicants containing a 1,2-diacetyl moiety in their oxidation metabolites. A series of ab initio electronic structure calculations was performed on two representative aromatic compounds, 1,2-diacetylbenzene (1,2-DAB) and 1,2-diacetyl tetramethyl tetralin (1,2-DATT), the putative active metabolites of the neurotoxic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds 1,2-diethylbenzene (1,2-DEB) and acetyl ethyl tetramethyl tetralin (AETT), and on the products of their possible reactions with proteins that result in chromogenic effects. The electronic excitation energies determined by three different computational approaches were found to be consistent with each other. The calculated results are consistent with the conclusion/prediction that the chromogenic effects of 1,2-DAB (or 1,2-DEB) and 1,2-DATT (or AETT) could result from ninhydrin-like reactions, rather than the formation of pyrrole-like compounds. Our pK(a) calculations further indicate that the chromophore, i.e., the product of the ninhydrin-like reaction showing the blue color, is deprotonated in neutral aqueous solution. The corresponding protonated structure has a different color as it absorbs in the blue region of the visible spectrum, and its chromogenic contribution would be significant in solution at low pH.     

Structure and magnetic properties of Ca14MnP11

The compound Ca₁₄MnP₁₁ crystallizes in the Ca₁₄AlSb₁₁ structure type with the tetragonal space group I4₁/acd (Z=8) and lattice parameters of , c=20.7565(9) at 90 K. The structure consists of MnP₄⁹⁻ tetrahedron, P₃⁷⁻ trimer, 4 P³⁻ isolated anions and 14 Ca²⁺ cations. Similar to other compounds of this structure type containing phosphorous, the P₃⁷⁻ trimer has a central P atom that is best modeled in the structure as being equally split between two sites. In addition, there is no additional distortion of the manganese-containing tetrahedron compared with the main group analog, Ca₁₄GaP₁₁, suggesting that the Mn oxidation state is Mn²⁺. Temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility shows that the compound is paramagnetic over the entire temperature range measured (2-300 K). The data can be fit with a modified Curie-Weiss law and provide an effective magnetic moment of 5.80 (2) B.M. with a Weiss constant of −2.13(2) K and . This moment is significantly higher than those measured for any of the Mn-containing analogs and is consistent with Mn²⁺. This result will be discussed in light of the electron counting scheme for Mn compounds of the Ca₁₄AlSb₁₁ structure-type.     

Measurement and Identification of (R)- and (S)-6-O-Desmethylnaproxen Enantiomers as Diastereomeric O-Ethoxycarbonyl/(R)-(+)-1-Phenylethylamides in Urine by GC and GC-MS

Enantioseparations of (R)- and (S)-6-O-desmethylnaproxens as O-ethoxycarbonyl/(R)-(+)-1-phenylethylamides and (R)- and (S)-naproxens as (R)-(+)-1-phenylethylamides were achieved by achiral gas chromatography in a single run within 11 min. The characteristic mass spectral patterns facilitated easier peak identification. The method for determinations of (R)-naproxen (1.0 to 50 ng) and (S)-naproxen (100 to 2000 ng) was linear with acceptable repeatability and accuracy. The enantiomeric composition ratios between (R)- and (S)-6-O-desmethylnaproxens and between (R)- and (S)-naproxens in urine sample collected six hours after oral administration of (S)-naproxen tablets were measured to be 2.2 (± 0.2):97.8 (± 0.2) and 2.1 (± 0.1):97.9 (± 0.1), respectively.     

The structure of di-μ-pentafluorobenzoatobis[bis(pentafluorophenyl)(triphenylphosphine oxide)thallium(iii)]

An X-ray crystallographic study has shown that the complex (C₆H₅)₂TlO₂CC₆F₅(OPPh₃) has a dimeric structure with unsymmetrical pentafluorobenzoate bridging (TlO 2.531 and 2.789 Å) but an exact crystallographic centre of symmetry. The pentafluorobenzoate groups are also unsymmetrically chelated to thallium (TlO 2.389 and 2.531 Å.), which overall has irregular six coordination.     

Stereodivergent and regioselective synthesis of 3,4-cis- and 3,4-trans-pyrrolidinediols from alpha-amino acids

[reaction: see text] Highly stereodivergent Woodward-Prevost reaction applied to iodoacetates derived from homochiral alpha-amino acids afforded enantiopure 3,4-cis- and 3,4-trans-pyrrolidinediol derivatives, with control over the protecting group, allowing for differential protection.     

Temperature-dependent intermolecular force measurement of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) grafted surface with protein

We have investigated the temperature dependence of the intermolecular force between poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNiPAM) grafted surface and bovine serum albumin (BSA) in phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) using atomic force microscopy at the nanonewton scale. These observations show that the interaction force is nearly zero below the phase transition temperature of PNiPAM and that it increases steeply during the phase transition. Since the PNiPAM chains are grafted onto the aminosilane (gamma-aminopropyltriethoxysilane)-treated silicon wafer, we measured the force-distance curve of BSA-immobilized tips for the bare and the aminosilane-treated silicon wafer. These surfaces show no temperature dependence and their values are different from those of the PNiPAM-grafted surfaces at 30 degrees C. The results indicate that the measured adhesion force is between the PNiPAM-grafted surface and the BSA-immobilized tip. Our studies on the intermolecular force between other surfaces (CH(3)- and COOH-terminated self-assembled monolayers) and the BSA-immobilized tip indicate that the variation in the intermolecular force between the PNiPAM surface and BSA with temperature can be attributed to the changes in the properties of the PNiPAM chains. From consideration of the PNiPAM phase transition mechanism, it is speculated that the intermolecular force between the PNiPAM-grafted surface and BSA would be affected by changes in the arrangement of the bound water molecules around the PNiPAM chain and by changes in the conformation (i.e., in the chain mobility) of the PNiPAM chain during the phase transition.     

A serpentine laminating micromixer combining splitting/recombination and advection

Mixing enhancement has drawn great attention from designers of micromixers, since the flow in a microchannel is usually characterized by a low Reynolds number (Re) which makes the mixing quite a difficult task to accomplish. In this paper, a novel integrated efficient micromixer named serpentine laminating micromixer (SLM) has been designed, simulated, fabricated and fully characterized. In the SLM, a high level of efficient mixing can be achieved by combining two general chaotic mixing mechanisms: splitting/recombination and chaotic advection. The splitting and recombination (in other terms, lamination) mechanism is obtained by the successive arrangement of "F"-shape mixing units in two layers. The advection is induced by the overall three-dimensional serpentine path of the microchannel. The SLM was realized by SU-8 photolithography, nickel electroplating, injection molding and thermal bonding. Mixing performance of the SLM was fully characterized numerically and experimentally. The numerical mixing simulations show that the advection acts favorably to realize the ideal vertical lamination of fluid flow. The mixing experiments based on an average mixing color intensity change of phenolphthalein show a high level of mixing performance was obtained with the SLM. Numerical and experimental results confirm that efficient mixing is successfully achieved from the SLM over the wide range of Re. Due to the simple and mass producible geometry of the efficient micromixer, SLM proposed in this study, the SLM can be easily applied to integrated microfluidic systems, such as micro-total-analysis-systems or lab-on-a-chip systems.