The polysaccharide extracts from the fungi Coprinus comatus and Coprinellus truncorum do exhibit AChE inhibitory activity

The polysaccharide (PSH) extracts from the edible mushroom species Coprinus comatus and Coprinellus truncorum were screened in liquid for their acetylcholinesterase inhibitory (AChE) activity. Both extracts were found to display inhibition of the aforementioned enzyme reaching similar IC₅₀ values of 0.62 ± 0.07 and 0.61 ± 0.03 mg/mL, respectively. According to the means of FTIR spectroscopy, these PSH extracts mostly contained β-glucans. However, the presence of some proteins and polyphenolics as minor ingredients were also detected. Compared with existing literature data for anti-AChE activity of the sugar samples, the findings within this study may be treated as a profound bioactivity. Consequently, this study puts some light on the possible use of the screened macrofungi in the palliative treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.     

PbO~2纳米粉体的固相合成及其对MnO~2电极材料的改性作用

利用固相氧化反应制备了PbO~2纳米粉体样品，借助XRD，TEM以及循环伏安测试对其性质进行了表征。同时，对反应条件的选择进行了讨论。将所得样品用于改性MnO~2电极，恒流放电测试结果表明，样品掺杂量在1.25%～5.00%间对MnO~2有良好的改性效果，可使改性MnO~2的放电容量得到极大提高。循环伏安测试结果表明，铅的掺入改变了MnO~2的放电机理。在循环扫描过程中，掺杂物与MnO~2均不再以单纯氧化物的形式存在，而是形成了一系列Pb(X)(X=0,Ⅱ)Mn(Y)(Y=Ⅳ，Ⅲ，Ⅱ)复合物的共氧化与共还原，抑制了电化学惰性物质Mn~3O~4的生成和积累，从而有望改善MnO~2的可充性能。纳米PbO~2与常粒径PbO~2与常粒径PbO~2(标记为S)对MnO~2的改性机理类似。但前者对MnO~2的改性效果明显优于后者，当恒流放电至-1.0V时，其放电容量较S样改性MnO~2的放电容量平均高出约30%。     

Plasma Thermal Conversion of Methane to Acetylene

This paper describes a re-examination of a known process for the direct plasma thermal conversion of methane to acetylene. Conversion efficiencies (% methane converted) approached 100% and acetylene yields in the 90–95% range with 2–4% solid carbon production were demonstrated. Specificity for acetylene was higher than in prior work. Improvements in conversion efficiency, yield, and specificity were due primarily to improved injector design and reactant mixing, and minimization of temperature gradients and cold boundary layers. At the 60-kilowatt scale cooling by wall heat transfer appears to be sufficient to quench the product stream and prevent further reaction of acetylene resulting in the formation of heavier hydrocarbon products or solid carbon. Significantly increasing the quenching rate by aerodynamic expansion of the products through a converging–diverging nozzle led to a reduction in the yield of ethylene but had little effect on the yield of other hydrocarbon products. While greater product selectivity for acetylene has been demonstrated, the specific energy consumption per unit mass of acetylene produced was not improved upon. A kinetic model that includes the reaction mechanisms resulting in the formation of acetylene and heavier hydrocarbons, through benzene, is described.     

The hydroazocine route to highly functionalized pyrrolizidines

Studies of the preparation of 1,8-dihydroazocines and transannular cyclization of hydroazocines to produce functionalized pyrrolizidines are described. Results are presented which demonstrate that unsymmetrically substituted acetylenes bearing at least one electron withdrawing groups undergo efficient cycloaddition to 1 - β - styryl - 1,2 - dihydropyridine producing in a regio-selective fashion 3,4 - disubstituted - 1,8 - dihydroazocines. The dihydroazocines generated in this manner can be converted to 1 - formyl - Δ^4,5 - epoxyazocines which undergo interesting rearrangement reactions to form pyrrolizidines when subjected to methoxide deformylation followed by acid treatment. In addition, 1,6,7,8 - tetrahydroazocines can be converted to pyrrolizidines under bromination conditions. The intriguing chemical process which occur under the conditions outlined above are described.     

The pyrolysis of trimethylgermane and trimethylsilane

The number of products and the H₂/CH₄ ratio obtained from the flow pyrolyses of (CH₃)₃GeH and (CH₃)₃SiH were very different. The (CH₃)₃GeH decomposition is consistent with the following mechanism:

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The pyrolysis of (CH₃)₃SiH was found to be much more complex, presumably due to the formation of silicon-carbon double bonded intermediates and the (CH₃)₂Si(H)CH₂ radical. We also present data which supports the presence of a H atom chain sequence during this pyrolysis.     

Stability of the FID sensitivity during an analysis in capillary GC

The sensitivity of an FID may change when the carrier gas flow rate changes during a chromatographic run. Sample parts which are eluted at reduced FID sensitivity produce a reduced peak area, hence are discriminated as compared to other components. Sensitivity changes were studied for hydrogen as carrier gas. For the detector tested, differences in the carrier gas flow rates of 1 ml/min shifted the FID sensitivity by 1 to 5% (depending on the fuel gas supply). Thus the stability of the sensitivity is no longer ensured as soon as the carrier gas flow rate is changed manually or by an automatic programmer during an analysis. Sensitivity drifts may also occur during temperature programmed runs with a pressure regulated carrier gas supply since the gas flow through the capillary drops with increasing temperature. Such shifts in the response became noticeable as soon as relatively high carrier gas flow rates combined with long range temperature programmes were used. The typical patterns of such discriminations are shown, closing with a discussion on the possibilities for minimizing such undesired effects.     

Synthesis of (+)-goniothalesdiol and (+)-7-epi-goniothalesdiol

A total synthesis of (+)-goniothalesdiol, a 3,4-dihydroxy-2,5-disubstituted tetrahydrofuran isolated from Goniothalamus borneensis (Annonaceae), and its 7-epimer is reported using oxycarbonylation methodology for construction of polyhydroxylated substituted heterocycles. Diastereoselectivity of addition of organometallic reagents to 2,3-O-isopropylidene-d-threose derivatives using theoretical calculations based on the semiempirical PM5 was studied.     

Plasma-Catalytic Decomposition of Phenols in Atmospheric Pressure Dielectric Barrier Discharge

This study investigated the processes for the destruction of phenol and its derivatives (resorcin and pyrocatechol) in aqueous solutions under the action of an oxygen dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) at atmospheric pressure in the presence or absence of catalysts in the plasma zone. It was shown that the DBD had a high decomposition efficiency for phenol and its derivatives (up to 99%). Phenol was the most stable and pyrocatechol was the least. In a plasma-catalytic hybrid process, the effective rate constants for phenol, resorcin and pyrocatechol decomposition were 11, 4 and 2.5 times higher, respectively, than those for the DBD treatment without catalysts. The process also resulted in a 1.4, 1.6 and 1.2 times higher rate of carboxylic acid formation for phenol, resorcin and pyrocatechol, respectively. The fractional conversion into the respective carboxylic acids reached 56% for phenol and 68% for resorcin and pyrocatechol.     

High temperature corrosion behaviour of M(Co,Ni)CrAIY-coatings on high temperature materials-microanalytical investigations

In our former investigations, the phenomenon high temperature corrosion (HTC) was described exemplarily on selected materialcoating combinations for blades of stationary gas turbines, mainly in the temperature region of up to 750° C. To answer the question, in which manner higher gas inlet and/or higher material surface temperature would influence the HTC behaviour, a special analytical technique—the integral layer profile analysis—was introduced to ameliorate concentration profile methods. By examining IN 738 LC specimens with CoCrAlY plasma spray coating, stressed by hot gas at 900° C, the limits of this system are shown by explaining the corrosion mechanism; the method is also used for other systems, e.g. U 520 with NiCrAlY coating at 750° C.     

Anodic hydroxylation of 1-carbomethoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrocarbazoles

1-Carbomethoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrocarbazole (1) and its 7-methoxy derivative (2) were oxidized at carbon felt anodes in acetonitrile containing 0.2 M LiClO₄ and 2-17 M water at potentials on the rising portion of the primary oxidation peak to yield products formed by formal substitution of the C-1 H atom with hydroxide. The resulting 1-hydroxy-l-carbomethoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrocarbazole and its 7-methoxy derivative were isolated in 44 and 22% yields, respectively, when sodium bicarbonate was used to control acidity of the medium. Structures were elucidated by NMR, IR, elemental analysis, and mass spectrometry. Voltammetry at carbon-paste and glassy carbon electrodes showed that the oxidations proceed by an ECE or DISPI pathway. The rate-determining step is the reaction of water with a cation radical electrochemically generated from 1 or 2, involving either proton abstraction or nucleophilic addition.