Protein-coated β-ferric hydrous oxide particles: An electrokinetic and electrooptic study

Using microelectrophoresis and electric light scattering techniques, we investigated the adsorption characteristics, surface coverage and surface electric parameters of superstructures from two isoforms of plastocyanin, PCa and PCb, in an oxidized state adsorbed on β-ferric hydrous oxide particles. The surface electric charge and electric dipole moments of the composite particles and the thickness of the protein adsorption layer are determined in a wide pH range, at different ionic strengths and concentration ratios of PC to β-FeOOH. The adsorption of the two proteins was found to shift the particles’ isoelectric point and to alter the total electric charge and the electric dipole moments of the oxide particles to different extent. A “reversal” in the direction of the permanent dipole moment is observed at lower pH for PCb- than for PCa-coated oxide particles. Strict correlation is found between the changes in the electrokinetic charge of the composite particles and the variation in their “permanent” dipole moments. Data suggest that the adsorption of the proteins is driven by electrostatic and/or hydrophobic interactions with the oxide surfaces dependent on pH. The adsorption behaviour is consistent with the involvement of the “eastern” and “northern” patches of the plastocyanin molecules in their adsorption on the oxide surfaces that are differently charged depending on pH.     

Structure of polynuclear palladium(ii) hydroxocomplexes formed upon alkaline hydrolysis of palladium(ii) chloride complexes

The structure of polynuclear Pd^II hydroxocomplexes (PHC) formed as a result of alkaline hydrolysis of Pd^II chloride complexes was studied by EXAFS, SAXS, and TEM methods. It is established that in aqueous solutions a hydroxocomplex particle is a filament curled into a ball containing about 100 Pd atoms. The filament consists of planar coordination squares of PdO₄ units linkedvia one or two oxygen bridges of different geometry. Aging of samples results in an increase in the number of single bridging ligands and a decrease in the diameter of particles. Interatomic distances around palladium atoms were determined.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimlcheskaya, No. 10, pp. 1901–1905, October, 1995.     

Growth Mechanism of Large Monodispersed Silica Particles Prepared from Tetraethoxysilane in the Presence of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate

Monodispersed silica particles up to ca. 1.2 μm in diameter were prepared by hydrolysis of tetraethoxysilane in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The particle size was increased with an increase of SDS added. The geometrical standard deviation of the particles was decreased with an increase of SDS. In the earlier reaction stage, double spherical particles by the coalescence of the particles were frequently observed when large amounts of SDS were added. Particle size was gradually increased after the coalescence occurred and spherical particles were finally obtained. The results of Nielsen’s chronomal analysis suggest that the polynuclear layer growth took place after the coalescence of the particles in the presence of larger amount of SDS.     

Deposition of Oral Bacteria and Polystyrene Particles to Quartz and Dental Enamel in a Parallel Plate and Stagnation Point Flow Chamber

The aim of this paper is to determine to what extent (i) deposition of oral bacteria and polystyrene particles, (ii) onto quartz and dental enamel with and without a salivary conditioning film, (iii) in a parallel plate (PP) and stagnation point (SP) flow chamber and at common Peclet numbers are comparable. All three bacterial strains showed different adhesion behaviors, and even Streptococcus mitis BMS, possessing a similar cell surface hydrophobicity as polystyrene particles, did not mimic polystyrene particles in its adhesion behavior, possibly as a result of the more negative ζ potentials of the polystyrene particles. The stationary endpoint adhesion of all strains, including polystyrene particles, was lower in the presence of a salivary conditioning film, while also desorption probabilities under flow were higher in the presence of a conditioning film than in its absence. Deposition onto quartz and enamel surfaces was different, but without a consistent trend valid for all strains and polystyrene particles. It is concluded that differences in experimental results exist, and the process of bacterial deposition to enamel surfaces cannot be modeled by using polystyrene particles and quartz collector surfaces.     

中药配方颗粒红外光谱法的快速鉴别

采用红外光谱法对中药配方颗粒及其辅料进行了鉴别研究。结果表明：不同生产厂商的配方颗粒中所添加的辅料类型及用量有较大差别；不同种的配方颗粒在辅料含量较低的情况下有较明显的指纹性，而辅料含量较高时，采用差谱技术可以提高谱图的指纹性，达到中药配方颗粒--鉴别的目的。该法简便、快速、可靠，是中药配方颗粒宏观质控的一个强有力的手段。     

单分散交联聚甲基丙烯酸环氧丙酯树脂的制备及亲合纯化伴刀豆球蛋白-A

采用一步种子溶胀聚合法制备了颗粒呈单分散的交联聚甲基丙烯酸环氧丙南树脂，对其环氧基的组成比进行了表征，并以氨基葡萄糖为配基，首次制备了纯化粗品伴刀豆球蛋白-A(Ⅲ）(Con-A，Ⅲ)的聚合物基质的高效亲合色谱柱。配基在树脂上的键合量为8．2mg／g，对纯化后的Con-A（Ⅲ）的吸附量为13．4mg／g。使用该亲合色谱介质成功地从粗品Con-A中快速纯化了Con-A，电泳分析显示为一个主要的谱带，纯度从15％提高到95％。     

Thermal conductivity measurements on ferrofluids

The thermal conductivity of a number of ferrofluids consisting of colloidally dispersed Fe₃O₄ particles in diester, hydrocarbon, water and fluorcarbon carriers have been measured at 38°C. The variation in thermal conductivity with particle concentration is well described by Tareef's equation (1940). This has enabled the ratio of the physical to magnetic size to be determined and compared with estimates of the ratio obtained from electron micrographs and magnetic measurements.The fit between theory and experiment is particularly good for hydrocarbon carrier fluids giving the ratio of solid to magnetic radiusR _i/R _m=1.24±0.03 compared with the value obtained from magnetic data and electron micrographs of 1.19±0.07. The corresponding value from the fluids with a diester carrier ranges between 1.1<R _d/R _m<1.3 which is again consistent with microscopy and magnetic data.The application of a magnetic field of 0.1 T had no noticeable effect on the thermal conductivities of ferrofluids.     

Potential distribution around a charged spherical colloidal particle in a medium containing its counterions and a small amount of added salts

A theory is developed for the potential distribution around a charged spherical colloidal particle carrying ionized groups on the particle surface in a medium containing its counterions (i.e., counterions produced from dissociation of the particle surface groups) and a small amount of added salts on the basis of the theory of Imai and Oosawa. Numerical solutions to the Poisson–Boltzmann equation for the potential distribution are obtained for the case of dilute (but not infinitely dilute) particle suspensions of volume fraction 1 for a1 (where is the Debye–Hückel parameter and a is the particle radius). Here we have taken into account the effects of (i) counterions from the particle surface groups, and (ii) the finite particle volume fraction. These effects, which are usually neglected in the conventional Poisson–Boltzmann equation, are found to be important. It is found that, as in the case of completely salt-free media, there is a certain critical value of the particle charge (which is the same as that for the completely salt-free case). When the particle charge is lower than the critical value, the potential is given by a Coulomb potential. If the particle charge is higher than the critical value, then counterions are accumulated in the vicinity of the particle surface (counterion condensation) and the potential becomes less dependent on the particle charge. The above behaviors can be observed even for the case where the electrolyte concentration is higher than the concentration of counterions from the particle surface groups, if the conditions 1 and a1are both satisfied.     

Electric parameters of photosystem II particles — electric light scattering study

Electric light scattering and microelectrophoresis were applied to investigate the electric moments (permanent dipole moment and electric polarizability and electrophoretic mobility of envelope-free chloroplasts and photosystem II (PS II particles. The effect of the removal of the extrinsic polypeptides (18, 24 and 33 kDa) on the electric moments was also studied. A significant difference was observed between the orientation behaviour of chloroplasts and PS II preparations. The data indicate that the permanent and induced dipole moments contribute to the orientation of the PS II particles, whereas chloroplasts possess induced dipole moment only.

NaCl and Tris treatments of PS II preparations influence both the transverse permanent dipole moment and the electric polarizability of PS II particles. The increase in the electrophoretic mobility of PS II particles on removal of the extrinsic proteins corresponds to an increase in the electric polarizability value, demonstrating its interfacial nature.     

Influence of the preparation procedure on the properties of polyaniline based magnetic composites

A versatile process for the preparation of composite films consisting of magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles embedded in a polyaniline (PANI) matrix is reported. Spectroscopic properties of polyaniline matrix (PANI-EB), polyaniline protonated with camphor sulfonic acid (PANI-CSA_0.5) PANI-ES and PANI/Fe₃O₄-CSA_0.5 composites were studied, both in the state of the solutions of m-cresol and in thin films processed from the same solvents. The results of these studies indicate that m-cresol can be used for PANI/Fe₃O₄ composite preparation. Such films show both reasonably high electrical conductivity and magnetic permeability. A controlled application of a magnetic field during the casting process resulted in the formation of the materials with an unusual combination of magnetic and transport properties. The obtained films show the behavior that can be explained by the presence of both ferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases. The superparamagnetic contribution, if any, is very small. Application of the external magnetic field during fabrication of the composites stimulates creation of the aggregates of magnetic particles which, although keeps conductivity at a relatively high level, leads to a small decrease of the conductivity value.