Characterization and TG-MS studies of lactato and bipyridine-lactato complexes of Co(II) and Ni(II)

Two lactates and four new mixed ligand complexes with formulae Co(lact)₂·2H₂O, Ni(lact)₂·3H₂O, Co(4-bpy)(lact)₂, Co(2,4'-bpy)₂(lact)₂, Ni(4-bpy)(lact)₂·2H₂O and Ni(2,4'-bpy)₂(lact)₂ (where 4-bpy=4,4'-bipyridine, 2,4'-bpy=2,4'-bipyridine, lact=CH₃CH(OH)COO^-) were isolated and investigated. The thermal behaviour of compounds was studied by thermal analysis (TG, DTG, DTA). In the case of hydrated complexes thermal decomposition starts with the release of water molecules. The compounds decompose at high temperature to metal(II) oxides in air. A coupled TG-MS system was used to analyse the principal volatile products of thermolysis and fragmentation processes of obtained complexes. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Diastereoselective addition of diethyl difluoromethylphosphonate to enantiopure sulfinimines: synthesis of α,α-difluoro-β-aminophosphonates, phosphonic acids, and phosphonamidic acids

Addition of diethyl lithiodifluoromethylphosphonate to enantiomerically pure aromatic, heteroaromatic, and aliphatic aldehyde-derived sulfinimines afforded N-sulfinyl α,α-difluoro-β-aminophosphonates with generally good enantioselectivity and in high yield. The reaction with acetophenone-derived sulfinimine resulted in the formation of the addition product with high diastereoselectivity and in only moderate yield. A two-step deprotection involving treatment of diastereomerically pure N-sulfinyl α,α-difluoro-β-aminophosphonates with trifluoroacetic acid in EtOH followed by refluxing with 10 N HCl provided enantiopure α,α-difluoro-β-aminophosphonates and α,α-difluoro-β-aminophosphonic acids. The N-Cbz derivative of (R)-2-amino-1,1-difluoro-2-phenylethylphosphonate was a convenient starting point for the preparation of corresponding difluorophosphonate monoester, difluorophosphonic acid, and difluorophosphonamidic acid. At 21 °C difluorophosphonamidic acid was stable in aqueous solution at pH above 5.     

A Self‐Sampling‐and‐Flow Biosensor for Continuous Monitoring

A self‐sampling‐and‐flow biosensor was fabricated by sandwiching a nitrocellulose strip on the working electrode side of the double‐sided microporous gold electrodes and a wicking pad on the counter electrode side. The double‐sided microporous electrodes were formed by plasma sputtering of gold on a porous nylon substrate. Sample was taken up to the enzyme‐immobilized working electrode by the capillary action of the front nitrocellulose strip dipped into the sample solution, analyzed electrochemically at the enzyme‐immobilized electrode, and diffuses out to the backside wicking pad through the micropores of the electrodes, constituting a complete flow cell device with no mechanical liquid‐transporting device. Biosensor was formed by co‐immobilizing the glucose oxidase and electron transfer mediator (ferrocene acetic acid) on the thioctic acid self‐assembled monolayer‐modified working electrode. A typical response time of the biosensor was about 5 min with the sensitivity of 2.98 nA/mM glucose, providing linear response up to 22.5 mM. To demonstrate the use of self‐sampling‐and‐flow biosensor, the consumption rate of glucose in the presence of yeast was monitored for five days.     

Highly sensitive catalytic determination of molybdenum

A novel, highly sensitive, selective, and simple kinetic method was developed for the determination of Mo(VI) based on its catalytic effect on the oxidation of 1-amino-2-naphthol-4-sulfonic acid (ANSA) with H₂O₂. The reaction was followed spectrophotometrically by tracing the oxidized product at 465 nm after 30 min of mixing the reagents. The optimum reaction conditions were: 10 mmol l⁻¹ ANSA, 50 mmol l⁻¹ H₂O₂, 100 mmol l⁻¹ acetate buffer of pH 5.0 ± 0.05 and at 40 °C. Addition of 200 μg ml⁻¹ diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) conferred high selectivity for the proposed method. Following the recommended procedure, Mo(VI) could be determined with a linear calibration graph up to 2.5 ng ml⁻¹ and a detection limit, based on the 3S_b-criterion, of 0.027 ng ml⁻¹. The unique sensitivity and selectivity of the implemented method allowed its direct application to the determination of Mo(VI) in natural and industrial waste water. The method was validated by comparison with the standard ETAAS method. Moreover, published catalytic-spectrophotometric methods for the determination of molybdenum were reviewed.     

On the Existence and Hydrolytic Stability of Titanosiloxane Bonds in the System: Glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane-Water-Titaniumtetraethoxide

Heterometal materials based on glycidoxypropyltrialkoxysilane and titaniumalkoxide are used for optical applications and require a high homogeneity on the molecular level. The presence of heterometal titanosiloxanes, their distribution and hydrolytic stability should influence the homogeneity of these materials. 29Si and 17O NMR spectroscopy has been used to investigate sols with molar ratios Si : Ti = 1 and H2O : OR (H) = 0.5 – 2.0 and their gels after heat treatment at 130°C. The presence of Si—O—Ti bonds in sols with a low water content (H < 0.2) and in the corresponding gels was identified by the high-field shift of the 29Si NMR signals of T1 and T2 units of up to 2–3 ppm compared to corresponding signals of homo-condensed Si—O—Si bonds. The existence of Si—O—Ti bonds in the sols is supported by 17O NMR spectra which show a characteristic signal around 340 ppm. A cleavage of the Si—O—Ti bonds occurs with increasing water/OR ratio in the sols. The cleavage of the heterometal bonds and the building up of homo-condensed species leads to a separation into areas with predominantly Ti—O—Ti and Si—O—Si bonds resulting in a decreased molecular homogeneity of the materials.     

Study of physical and thermochemical properties of modified zeolites

The treatment of zeolite with a solution of NaOH at different concentrations creates modified forms of natural zeolites.These modified zeolites exhibit an increased uptake of caesium and a satisfactory uptake of cobalt. The structural changes in the modified zeolites were studied by XRD analysis, which reveals the mineral compositions of the studied materials. The thermodynamic properties of the modified zeolites were studied by means of DTA and thermogravimetry, and the chemical composition too was determined.     

Triterpene glycosides from Pulsatilla chinensis

Four triterpene glycosides were isolated from the roots of Pulsatilla chinensis (Bunge) Regel (Ranunculaceae). Two new glycosides, chinensiosides A (1a) and B (2), were identified as 3-O-[-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(12)--L-arabinopyranosyl]-28-O-[-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(14)--D-glucopyranosyl-(16)--D-glucopyranosyl]-3,23-dihydroxylup-20(29)-en-28-oic acid and 3-O-{-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(12)-[-D-glucopyranosyl-(14)]--L-arabinopyranosyl}-28-O-[-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(14)--D-glucopyranosyl-(16)--D-glucopyranosyl]-3,23-dihydroxylup-20(29)-en-28-oic acid. The other two glycosides were identified as previously known hederasaponin C (3) from Hedera helix and glycoside III (4) from Pulsatilla cernua.     

Preparation and characterization of Mg(II)-, Ca(II) and Cd(II) complexes of 1,2-ethanediol and water

Mixed ligand complexes of different compositions were prepared with water, sulfate ion and 1,2-ethanediol as ligand. IR spectra and the thermoanalytical curves of the complexes were recorded. Oxygen atoms bound by one or two coordinate bonds to the metal ion, or by hydrogen-bonds in the crystal, were observed. As for the water molecule, 1,2-ethanediol molecules of crystal and monohydrate type were found, depending on the type of binding of the oxygen atoms.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A revised quantum chemistry-based potential for poly(ethylene oxide) and its oligomers in aqueous solution

We have conducted a high-level quantum chemistry study of the interactions of 1,2-dimethoxyethane (DME) with water for complexes representing both hydrophilic and hydrophobic hydration. It was found that our previous quantum chemistry-based force field for poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and its oligomers in aqueous solution did a poor job in describing the hydrophobic binding of water to the ether, consistent with our recent calculations of the excess free energy and entropy of hydration of DME. Our original force field was revised to more accurately reproduce the interaction of water with the carboneous portions of DME. Molecular dynamics simulations of aqueous DME solutions using the revised quantum chemistry-based potential yielded good agreement with experiment for excess free energy, enthalpy, and volume as well as excess solution viscosity and the self-diffusion of water. Comparison with our original potential revealed that the relatively hydrophobic ether-water interactions in the new potential strongly reduced the favorable excess free energy and enthalpy but have relatively little influence on the excess entropy for dilute DME solutions. Other properties of DME and PEO solutions including conformational populations and dynamics, solution viscosity, hydrogen bonding, water translational and rotational diffusion and neutron structure factor as a function of solution composition were found to be largely unchanged from those obtained using the original potential.     

Solvent and thiourea adsorption/intercalation effects on the solid-state electrochemistry of α-phase nickel hydroxide nanoparticles

Nanoparticles of α-phase nickel hydroxide were synthesized by a single-step hydrothermal method using urea as the hydrolytic agent. Precipitated powders were of pure turbostratic α-phase as confirmed by x-ray diffraction profile. The ageing of α-Ni(OH)₂ in 1.0 M alkali solutions is investigated for pure non-intercalated α-Ni(OH)₂ and thiourea intercalated/absorbed α-phase nanomaterials. The α-Ni(OH)₂ powder immobilized on the surface of graphite electrodes shows a gradual α→β phase transformation with continuous voltammetric cycling, and the concentration gradient of water that exists in the layered-double-hydroxide-like interlayers of α-phase and the solution was shown to play a crucial role on the high electrochemical activity of this phase nickel hydroxide. To understand the role of water in the ageing process, concomitant entries of non-aqueous solvents like ethanol and acetonitrile along with thiourea were effected. Cyclic voltammetric measurements of thiourea-treated α-Ni(OH)₂ samples revealed that hydroxyl ion influx during the anodic oxidation depends on the counter flux of solvent molecules, and if the intercalated the solvent is acetonitrile, then the electrochemical activity of α-Ni(OH)₂ reduced drastically; Q _a/Q _c>1 for water as solvent in the interlayers α-Ni(OH)₂ and Q _a/Q _c<1 for ethanol and acetonitrile as solvents. The α-phase gets stabilized in the presence of thiourea with water and ethanol as co-intercalates. Transmission electron microscope images of α-Ni(OH)₂ and thiourea-treated samples show a change in particle size and morphology. Elemental CHNS analysis confirms the presence of sulphur in the thiourea intercalated samples.