Irreversible and Reversible Deactivation of Bilirubin Oxidase by Urate

Oxygen is electroreduced to water on a carbon cathode coated with wired bilirubin oxidase in a pH 7.4 0.15 M NaCl phosphate buffer solution at 37 °C at much lesser polarization than it is on a pure platinum cathode in 0.5 M H₂SO₄. While the wired bilirubin oxidase cathode operates for over a week in the aerated or oxygenated buffer solution, it is degraded rapidly when in serum. We reported earlier that in the presence of O₂ an intermediate product of the electrooxidation of urate, which is a normal serum component, irreversibly damages the wired bilirubin oxidase and also reported that the electrocatalyst is irreversibly damaged, in the absence of urate, when it is brought, by disconnecting the electrode, to the O₂/H₂O half cell potential at pH 7.4. Here we report that a) dissolved bilirubin oxidase is irreversibly and rapidly damaged by urate in the presence of O₂; and b) that the immobilized wired bilirubin oxidase electrocatalyst is not only irreversibly deactivated by urate in the presence of O₂ in a few hours, but is initially reversibly deactivated, in 1 min or less, by the urate in the presence of O₂.     

Effect of HF addition on the microwave-assisted acid-digestion for the determination of metals in coal by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry

The microwave-assisted acid-digestion for the determination of metals in coal by ICP-AES was investigated, especially focusing on the necessity of adding HF. By testing five certified reference materials, BCR-180, BCR-040, NIST-1632b, NIST-1632c, and SARM-20, it was found that the two-stage digestion without HF (HNO₃ + H₂O₂ was used) was very effective for the pretreatment of ICP-AES measurement. Both major metals (Al, Ca, Fe, and Mg) and minor or trace metals (Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in coal gave good recoveries for their certified or reference values. The possibility of ‘HF-memory effect’ was cancelled by the use of a set of vessels which had been never contacted with HF. Twenty-four Japanese standard coals (SS coals) were analyzed by the present method, and the concentrations of major metals measured by the present method provided very high accordance with those from the authentic JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) method.     

Direct determination of estriol 3- and 16-glucuronides in pregnancy urine by column-switching liquid chromatography with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

Using column-switching liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), we developed an improved analytical method of urinary estriol glucuronides. This new method is derived predominantly from maternal and fetal precursors in pregnancy. We used in the following procedure: first, we filtered urine samples with a membrane filter. Next, we directly injected the 50 microL aliquot of urine samples onto a pre-column. Then, after activating the column-switching valve, we backflushed the loaded samples onto the C(18) analytical column. Urine samples can be assayed within 20 min without any sample preparation steps. We monitored separated estriol glucuronides by negative electrospray ionization (ESI) and selected-reaction monitoring (SRM). The calibration range of estriol-3-glucuronide (E3-3G) and estriol-16-glucuronide (E3-16G) was 0.1-20 microg/mL and the linearity of the method was 0.9984 for E3-3G and 0.9987 for E3-16G. The limits of detection at a signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of 3 were 10 ng/mL (E3-3G) and 5 ng/mL (E3-16G). The analytical recovery was over 85% and, in general, inter-day and intra-day variability for precision and accuracy were less than 10%. When applied to a pregnancy urine sample to biomedical monitoring of the function of the maternal/fetal unit, the proposed method allowed rapid and sensitive screening for the detection of E3-3G and E3-16G.     

Use of intermittent jets to enhance flux in crossflow filtration

This paper deals with the influence of a new flow unsteadiness on the permeate fluxes in crossflow filtration. A pneumatically controlled valve generates intermittent jets from the main flow, causing the formation of large vortices moving downstream along the tubular membrane. The main results of the numerical calculation of such flows are given. The experimental study was carried out by filtering a bentonite suspension through an ultrafiltration mineral membrane. Time evolutions of flux were achieved in steady and unsteady operating conditions. Results concerning the influence and limits of the nozzle to tube diameter ratio and the jet velocities are discussed. The applicability of such an unsteady flow is examined with a view to effects on energy consumption and possible viscosity effects.     

Correction for the Concentration Polarization for Simultaneous Reduction of Several Reactants: Platinum(II) Aquachloride Complexes

The reaction of electroreduction of platinum(II) aquachloride complexes on a negatively charged dropping mercury electrode is used to determine specific features of interpretation of experimental data in the case of parallel conversion of several forms of a reactant, connected with the manner of introducing a correction for the concentration polarization. The difference in the charges of species undergoing simultaneous reduction gives rise to ambiguity when analyzing kinetic data on the dependence of current on the supporting-electrolyte concentration at constant electrode charge. A new self-consistent technique for deducing model parameters (ratio between reactant discharge rate constants) is proposed.     

支化高分子在溶液中的交叠与缠结

溶液中高分子的交叠和缠结与其链结构密切相关。支化聚苯乙烯的临界交叠浓度C和临界缠结浓度C_E比分子量相同的线型聚苯乙烯的大,说明交叠和缠结同分子在溶液中线团的体积有直接关系。     

BaCe0.8Ho0.2O3-a陶瓷的性质与应用

Ceramic BaCe0.8Ho0.2O3-α with orthorhombic perovskite structure was prepared by conventional solid state reaction, and its conductivity and ionic transport number were measured by ac impedance spectroscopy and gas concentration cell methods in the temperature range of 600-1000 ℃ in wet hydrogen and wet air, respectively. Using the ceramics as solid electrolyte and porous platinum as electrodes, the hydrogen-air fuel cell was constructed, and the cell performance at temperature from 600-1000 ℃ was examined. The results indicate that the specimen was a pure protonic conductor with the protonic transport number of 1 at temperature from 600-900 ℃ in wet hydrogen, a mixed conductor of proton and electron with the protonic transport number of 0.99 at 1000 ℃. The electronic conduction could be neglected in this case, thus the total conductivity in wet hydrogen was approximately regarded as protonic conductivity. In wet air, the specimen was a mixed conductor of proton, oxide ion and electron hole. The protonic transport numbers were 0.01-0.09, and the oxide-ionic transport numbers were 0.27-0.32. The oxide ionic conductivity was increased with the increase of temperature, but the protonic conductivity displayed a maximum at 900 ℃, due to the combined increase in mobility and depletion of the carriers. The fuel cell could work stably. At 1000 ℃, the maximum short-circuit current density and power output density were 346 mA/cm^2 and 80 mW/cm^2, respectively.     

Transport in ceria electrolytes modified with sintering aids: effects on oxygen reduction kinetics

Small (2 mol%) cobalt oxide additions to ceria-gadolinia (CGO) materials considerably improve sinterability, making it possible to obtain ceramics with 95–99% density and sub-micrometre grain sizes at 1,170–1,370 K. The addition of Co causes a significant shift of the electrolytic domain to lower pO₂. This modification to the minor electronic conductivity of the electrolyte material has influence on the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction. The impedance technique is shown to provide information not only about polarisation resistance, but also about the active electrode area from analysis of the current constriction resistance. It is demonstrated that this current constriction resistance can be related to the minor electronic contributions to total conductivity in these materials. A simple imbedded grid approach gives control of the contact area allowing the properties of the electrolyte materials to be studied. A much lower polarisation resistance for the Co-containing CGO electrolyte is observed, which can be clearly attributed to an increased three-phase reaction area in the Co-containing material, as a consequence of elevated p-type conductivity.     

Indium(I) bromide-mediated coupling of dibromoacetonitrile with aldehydes followed by Boord elimination of bromine and oxygen of β-bromo alkoxides for preparation of 3-organyl-2-alkenenitriles

The organoindium compound derived from indium monobromide and dibromoacetonitrile reacts with carbonyl compounds to afford the corresponding 2-bromo-2-cyano-indium(III) alkoxide. The action of a second equivalent of indium monobromide onto the alkoxides derived from aldehydes promotes the Boord elimination of the β-related oxygen and bromine atoms leading to 2-alkenenitriles.     

硫酸介质中Ti／SnO2／PbO2析氧阳极的研究

由于硫酸溶液具有高的电导、一般条件下性质稳定、价格相对低廉等优点，所以电化学合成大多在硫酸溶液中进行．阳极析氧是电化学合成不可避免的阳极过程．但因硫酸的强腐蚀性，以及从阳极析出的氧的强氧化性，使得能满足工业生产的阳极材料很缺乏．自１９５０年荷兰Ｈｅｎ...