Addition photochimique (2+2) de composes organometalliques α-insatures aux derives carbonyles α,β-insatures: addition d'alcynylsilanes a la cyclopentenone

Alkynylsilanes add photochemically to cyclopentenone to give bicyclo[3.2.0]heptenones. The photochemical rearrangement of adducts was studied. A method to eliminate the trimethylsilyl substituent is proposed. The structure of adducts is proved by spectroscopy, mainly ¹³C NMR.     

Quantitative determination and evaluation of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis with different harvesting times using UPLC‐UV‐MS and FT‐IR spectroscopy in combination with partial least squares discriminant analysis

A rapid method was developed and validated by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–triple quadrupole mass spectroscopy with ultraviolet detection (UPLC‐UV‐MS) for simultaneous determination of paris saponin I, paris saponin II, paris saponin VI and paris saponin VII. Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS‐DA) based on UPLC and Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectroscopy was employed to evaluate Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis (PPY) at different harvesting times. Quantitative determination implied that the various contents of bioactive compounds with different harvesting times may lead to different pharmacological effects; the average content of total saponins for PPY harvested at 8 years was higher than that from other samples. The PLS‐DA of FT‐IR spectra had a better performance than that of UPLC for discrimination of PPY from different harvesting times.     

Thermal Characterization of Polymeric Plaster Composites

Plaster composites have been developed by the authors, aiming the manufacture of plasterboards and other building materials with enhanced properties. Polymeric plaster composites,obtained from hydration of commercial plaster of Paris with aqueous solutions of a commercial polyester, were characterized by thermogravimetry (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). A method using derivative thermogravimetry (DTG) was developed to determine the polymer content in the composites and its distribution. Samples prepared conventionally by hydration of plaster of Paris with water were used as reference. Independently of the initial solution concentration, all the composites show an even distribution of the polymer, which presence enhances the composite mechanical strength. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Identification and structural elucidation of steroidal saponins from the root of Paris polyphylla by HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS

The root of Paris polyphylla (RPP) is widely used as a traditional Chinese medicine for a long time due to the good properties of heat-clearing and detoxicating, detumescence, sedation, acesodyne and haemostasis. To clarify on the bioactive substances and ensure the safety in clinical medication, a feasible and accurate strategy was developed by applying the high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionisation and quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS). Separation was performed an Agilent poroshell 120 EC-C18 column (2.7 × 100 mm, i.d., 2.7 μm) with 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution and acetonitrile as the mobile phase under gradient conditions. Based on the proposed strategy, 30 constituents, mainly including steroidal saponins, were characterised or tentatively identified, 2 of which were the first to be reported as the potential new steroidal saponins in RPP. In conclusion, the HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS is a feasible and credible technique to separate and identify steroidal saponins from botanical extracts.     

An opposed-anvil-type apparatus with an optical window and a wide-angle aperture for neutron diffraction

We designed new anvil assemblies for acquiring high-quality neutron diffraction data and ruby fluorescence spectra inside a sample chamber. The conical aperture of Ni-binded WC anvils was expanded by a factor of two. A hybrid gasket made of TiZr- and Al-alloy was developed to prevent outward extrusion. A small and optically transparent window of moissanite was introduced to allow for the determination of pressure and hydrostaticity by measurement of ruby fluorescence spectra. High pressure-generation tests that make use of Bi electrical conductivity and ruby pressure markers revealed that pressure could be determined over 10 GPa. In situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiments were also carried out using NaCl as the pressure calibrants. The maximum pressure achieved was approximately 13 GPa. The neutron diffraction intensity from the newly generated anvil assemblies was 2.5–3.0 times greater than that using the standard toroidal anvil assemblies used previously.     

High‐pressure Seebeck coefficients and thermoelectric behaviors of Bi and PbTe measured using a Paris‐Edinburgh cell

A new sample cell assembly design for the Paris‐Edinburgh type large‐volume press for simultaneous measurements of X‐ray diffraction, electrical resistance, Seebeck coefficient and relative changes in the thermal conductance at high pressures has been developed. The feasibility of performing in situ measurements of the Seebeck coefficient and thermal measurements is demonstrated by observing well known solid–solid phase transitions of bismuth (Bi) up to 3 GPa and 450 K. A reversible polarity flip has been observed in the Seebeck coefficient across the Bi‐I to Bi‐II phase boundary. Also, successful Seebeck coefficient measurements have been performed for the classical high‐temperature thermoelectric material PbTe under high pressure and temperature conditions. In addition, the relative change in the thermal conductivity was measured and a relative change in ZT, the dimensionless figure of merit, is described. This new capability enables pressure‐induced structural changes to be directly correlated to electrical and thermal properties.     

New method for measuring random thresholds of long fatigue crack propagation

A so-called "local probabilistic Paris relation method" was presented for measuring the random thresholds of long fatigue crack propagation. A check was made to the conventional method, in which the thresholds were measured statistically and directly by the test data. It was revealed that this method was not reasonable because the test data have seldom a unified level of crack growth rates. Differently,in the presented method the Paris-Erdogan equation was applied to model the local test data around the thresholds. Local probabilistic relations with both the survival probability and the confidence were established on a lognormal distribution of the stress density factors. And then, the probabilistic thresholds were derived from the probabilistic factors with a given critical level of growth rate. An analysis on the test data of LZ50 axle steel for the Chinese railway vehicles verifies that the present method is feasible and available.     

Separation and purification of steroidal saponins from Paris polyphylla by microwave‐assisted extraction coupled with countercurrent chromatography using evaporative light scattering detection

A method of microwave‐assisted extraction coupled with countercurrent chromatography using evaporative light scattering detection was successfully developed for the separation and purification of steroidal saponins from Paris polyphylla. The main extraction conditions including microwave power, liquid/solid ratio, irradiation time, and extraction temperature were optimized using an orthogonal array design method. A suitable two‐phase solvent system consisting of n‐heptane/n‐butanol/acetonitrile/water (10:19:6:20, v/v/v/v) was employed in the separation and purification of the extracts of P. polyphylla. A total of 7.1 mg polyphyllin VII, 4.3 mg gracillin, 9.2 mg dioscin, and 10.2 mg polyphyllin I were obtained from 1.5 g P. polyphylla in less than 300 min, the purities of which determined by HPLC were 96.7, 97.3, 98.7, and 98.6%, respectively. The identification and characterization of these compounds were performed by LC–ESI‐MS and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The results demonstrated that the proposed method is feasible, economical and efficient for the extraction, separation and purification of effective compounds from natural products.     

红外光谱结合化学计量学对不同采收期滇重楼的定性定量分析

傅里叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)结合偏最小二乘判别分析(PLS-DA)和偏最小二乘回归(PLSR)对不同采收期滇重楼(Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis)分别进行定性鉴别与定量分析,以期为滇重楼合理采收和鉴别评价提供科学依据。采集46份不同采收期滇重楼样品的红外光谱,对光谱数据进行自动基线校正+纵坐标归一化+自动平滑+小波去噪(WD)预处理后进行PLS-DA分析;采用超高效液相色谱测定样品中重楼皂苷Ⅰ,Ⅱ,Ⅵ,Ⅶ的含量,将液相测定数据与红外光谱数据进行拟合,经自动基线校正+纵坐标归一化+自动平滑+一阶求导+正交信号校正(OSC)优化处理后,建立滇重楼中重楼皂苷Ⅰ,Ⅱ,Ⅵ,Ⅶ的快速预测模型。结果显示,(1)原始红外光谱中主要吸收区域在950~700,1 200~950,1 800~1 500和2 800~3 500 cm-1附近。(2)PLS-DA得分图可准确区分不同采收期滇重楼样品。(3)液相数据显示重楼总皂苷含量随着年限的增加先成倍增加,再逐渐减少,最后呈现缓慢增加的趋势。(4)重楼总皂苷含量定量模型的预测值与真实值间无显著性差异,表明模型预测效果好。FTIR结合化学计量学可准确区分不同采收期滇重楼并快速预测其皂苷含量,为不同采收期滇重楼的鉴别和皂苷含量预测提供一种新方法,同时为确定滇重楼的最佳采收期提供参考依据。