Quantitative determination of glutathione in single human erythrocytes by capillary zone electrophoresis with electrochemical detection

Glutathione (GSH) in single human erythrocytes is determined by capillary zone electrophoresis with end-column amperometric detection at a gold/mercury amalgam microelectrode. A capillary of 10 microm inner diameter is suitable for determination of GSH in an individual erythrocyte with a good signal-to-noise ratio. The limit of detection is 1 x 10(-7) mol/L or 26 amol and the linear dynamic range is 2 x 10(-7) to 2 X 10(-5) mol/L for the capillary. In this method, the calibration line is obtained with a capillary adsorbed before a certain amount of hemoglobin can be used for the quantification of GSH in the external standardization. The whole cell injection and the lack of necessity of a derivatization reaction lead to more accurate and precise results, which are closer to the macroscopic values of glutathione in human red blood cell (i.e., hemolysate) than those determined by indirect laser-induced fluorescence detection.     

Self-assembly and characterization of paclitaxel-loaded N-octyl-O-sulfate chitosan micellar system

N-octyl-O-sulfate chitosan micellar system loaded paclitaxel was prepared by using dialysis method. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the modified chitosan was found to be 0.45 mg/ml. Compared with the amount of N-octyl-O-sulfate chitosan, the paclitaxel loading amount in the system was up to 25% (w/w), depending on both of the solvents used in dialysis and the feed weight ratio of paclitaxel to the derivative. The polymeric micelles forming and loading occurred simultaneously in the dialysis process when ethanol and water were utilized as the solvents for paclitaxel and the polymer, respectively. Paclitaxel-loaded micellar system of N-octyl-O-sulfate chitosan was characterized by DSC, WXRD and TEM. TEM photograph revealed that paclitaxel existed as the colloid particulates in ethanol before loading and in the cores of the spherical polymeric micelles after loading. The results of DSC and WXRD indicated that paclitaxel was transferred from the crystalline state to amorphous state after loading. The lyophilized powder of micellar system (25% (w/w) loading) could be reconstituted easily in aqueous media even after 2 months storage at 4 degrees C without the change of paclitaxel entrapment and micelle size. The reconstituted solution (2.1 mg paclitaxel/ml) also showed good stability. The dilution with saline may decrease the loading and physical stability based on the dilution times which was related with CMC of the polymer. In vitro tests showed that paclitaxel was slowly released from micellar solution and the release lasted up to 220 h by means of the dialysis method.     

Development of a new reaction system for the synthesis of highly optically active alpha,gamma-substituted gamma-butyrolactones

A highly useful method for the synthesis of optically active alpha,gamma-substituted gamma-butyrolactones has been developed. The SmI(2)-induced reductive coupling of chiral 2-alkyl acrylates derived from isosorbide with ketones in the presence of (1S)-(-)-2,10-camphorsultam as a proton source give the chiral alpha,gamma-substituted gamma-butyrolactones in good yields and high enantiomeric purities (up to >99% ee for trans and 75% ee for cis). The reaction system has been investigated with various ketones, and it is demonstrated that this system is very effective for trans-alpha,gamma-substituted gamma-butyrolactones. Both the chiral auxiliary and the hindered proton source in this system are necessary for the observed excellent ee values of the products. The absolute configuration of the trans products is assigned on the basis of the X-ray crystal structure.     

DIRECT DETERMINATION OF NEODYMIUM AND ERBIUM IN RARE EARTH MIXTURE BY DERIVATIVE SPECTROPHOTOMETRY

The absorption spectra of 4f electron transitions of the complexes of neodymium and erbium with 8-hydroxyquinoline-5-sulphonic acid in the presence of diethylamine and ethanol have been measured by normal and third-derivative spectrophotometry. Their molar absorptivities are 70.7 l.mol~(-1).cm~(-1) for Nd and 62.5 l.mol~(-1).cm~(-1) for Er. They are 7.6 times and 14.9 times greater than those of corresponding chlorides, respectively. Use of the third-derivative spectra both eliminates the interference of Ce(Ⅳ) and increases the sensitivity for Nd and Er. Beer,s Law was obeyed from 0-10 ug/ml of Nd and Er. The method has been applied to the determination of neodymium and erbium in rare earth mixtures.     

{Pt

Prolonged evacuation of [{Pt(CO)(3)}(2)](2+) (1), the first homoleptic, dinuclear, cationic platinum(I) carbonyl complex, results in reversible disproportionation. Complex 1 was formed by dissolution of PtO(2) in concentrated H(2)SO(4) under an atmosphere of CO [Eq. (a)], and completely characterized by NMR ((13)C, (195)Pt), IR, and Raman spectroscopy.     

DOPING LEVEL INCREASE OF POLY(3-METHYLTHIOPHENE)FILM DURING ELECTROCHEMICAL POLYMERIZATION PROCESS

The Raman spectra of poly(3-methylthiophene) (PMeT) films with different thicknesses, which have beenelectrochemically deposited on a flat stainless steel electrode surface by direct oxidation of 3-methylthiophene in borontrifluoride diethyl etherate (BFEE) at a constant applied potential of 1.38 V (versus SCE), have been investigated byexcitation with a 633-nm laser beam. The spectroscopic results demonstrated that the doping level of PMeT film wasincreasing during film growth. This finding was also confirmed by electrochemical examination. Moreover, the Raman bandsassigned to radical cations and dications in doped PMeT films were found approximately at 1420 and 1400 cm~(-1),respectively. Radical cations and dications coexist on the backbone of PMeT as conductive species and their concentrationsincrease with the increase of doping level. Successive cyclic voltammetry was proved to be an effective approach toimproving the doping level of as-grown thin compact PMeT film.     

Enhanced electrical conductivity in chemically modified carbon nanotube/methylvinyl silicone rubber nanocomposite

Chemically modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes/methlyvinyl silicone rubber (m-MWNT/VMQ) nanocomposites with relatively good dispersion of nanotubes were prepared by treating the surface of MWNT using γ-aminopropyltriethoxy silane (KH550). Significant enhanced electrical conductivity was discovered in the m-MWNT/VMQ nanocomposites. The results could be attributed a strong interaction between m-MWNT and VMQ which was from the chemically modification of the surface for MWNT. The electrical property was also discussed in order to understand the percolation and electrical transport mechanism. The m-MWNT/VMQ nanocomposites with high conductivity in this study are promising application as one of novel functional materials.     

Polymer-enzyme conjugates can self-assemble at oil/water interfaces and effect interfacial biotransformations

Native water-soluble enzymes were transformed into interface-binding enzymes via conjugation with hydrophobic polymers, thus enabling interesting interfacial biocatalysis between immiscible chemicals at oil/water interfaces. Such interfacial biocatalysis demonstrated a significantly improved catalytic efficiency as compared to traditional biphasic reactions with enzymes contained in the bulk aqueous phase. Particularly, polystyrene-conjugated beta-galactosidase showed a catalytic efficiency that was more than 145 times higher than that of the native enzyme for a transgalactosylation reaction. It is believed that the improved accessibility of the biocatalysts to chemicals held in both phases across the interface is the key driver for the enhancement of enzyme activity.     

Ultrathin polymer film formation by collision-induced cross-linking of adsorbed organic molecules with hyperthermal protons

A new synthetic approach for the formation of ultrathin polymer films with customizable properties was developed. In this approach, the kinematic nature of proton collisions with simple organic molecules condensed on a substrate is exploited to break C-H bonds preferentially. The subsequent recombination of carbon radicals gives a cross-linked polymer thin film, and the selectivity of C-H cleavage preserves the chemical functionalities of the precursor molecules. The nature and validity of the method are exemplified with theoretical results from ab initio molecular dynamics calculations and experimental evidence from a variety of characterization techniques. Its applicability is demonstrated by the synthesis of ultrathin polymer films with precursor molecules such as dotriacontane, docosanoic acid, poly(acrylic acid) oligomer, and polyisoprene. The approach is fundamentally different from conventional chemical synthesis as it involves an unusual mix of physical and chemical processes including charge exchange, projectile penetration, kinematics, collision-induced dissociation, inelastic energy transfer, chain transfer, and chain cross-linking.     

Carbonyldinitrosyltris(fluorosulfato)tungstate(II) and ‐Molybdate(II) Anions: Synthesis,Spectroscopy, and Density Functional Theory Calculations

Carbonyldinitrosyltris(fluorosulfato)tungstate(II) and ‐molybdate‐(II) anions, [fac‐M(CO)(NO)₂(SO₃F)₃]^? (M=W, Mo), which are novel weakly coordinating anions that contain a metal carbonyl/nitrosyl moiety, have been generated in fluorosulfonic acid and completely characterized by multinuclear NMR, IR, and Raman spectroscopy as well as ESI mass spectrometry. ESI MS measurements performed for the first time on a superacidic solution system unambiguously reveal the formation of the monoanionic, mononuclear W and Mo complexes formulated as [M(CO)(NO)₂(SO₃F)₃]^? (M=W, Mo). Multinuclear NMR spectroscopic studies at natural abundance and ¹³C and ¹⁵N enrichment clearly indicate the presence of one CO ligand, two equivalent NO ligands, and two types of nonequivalent SO₃F^? groups in a 2:1 ratio. The IR and Raman spectra reveal that the two equivalent NO ligands have a cis conformation, thus indicating a fac structure. Density functional calculations at the B3LYP level of theory predict that these anions have a singlet ground state (¹A′) with a C_s symmetry along with C–O and N–O vibrational frequencies that are in agreement with the experimental observations. Mulliken population analysis shows that the monovalent negative charge is dispersed on the bulky sphere, the surface of which is covered by all the negatively charged O and F atoms with charge densities much lower than SO₃F^?, suggesting that [fac‐M(CO)(NO)₂(SO₃F)₃]^? (M=W, Mo) are weakly nucleophilic and poorly coordinating anions.