Accelerated Chemical Reactions and Organic Synthesis in Leidenfrost Droplets

Leidenfrost levitated droplets can be used to accelerate chemical reactions in processes that appear similar to reaction acceleration in charged microdroplets produced by electrospray ionization. Reaction acceleration in Leidenfrost droplets is demonstrated for a base‐catalyzed Claisen–Schmidt condensation, hydrazone formation from precharged and neutral ketones, and for the Katritzky pyrylium into pyridinium conversion under various reaction conditions. Comparisons with bulk reactions gave intermediate acceleration factors (2–50). By keeping the volume of the Leidenfrost droplets constant, it was shown that interfacial effects contribute to acceleration; this was confirmed by decreased reaction rates in the presence of a surfactant. The ability to multiplex Leidenfrost microreactors, to extract product into an immiscible solvent during reaction, and to use Leidenfrost droplets as reaction vessels to synthesize milligram quantities of product is also demonstrated.     

Accelerating Electrochemical Reactions in a Voltage-Controlled Interfacial Microreactor

Microdroplet chemistry is attracting increasing attention for accelerated reactions at the solution–air interface. We report herein a voltage-controlled interfacial microreactor that enables acceleration of electrochemical reactions which are not observed in bulk or conventional electrochemical cells. The microreactor is formed at the interface of the Taylor cone in an electrospray emitter with a large orifice, thus allowing continuous contact of the electrode and the reactants at/near the interface. As a proof-of-concept, electrooxidative C−H/N−H coupling and electrooxidation of benzyl alcohol were shown to be accelerated by more than an order of magnitude as compared to the corresponding bulk reactions. The new electrochemical microreactor has unique features that allow i) voltage-controlled acceleration of electrochemical reactions by voltage-dependent formation of the interfacial microreactor; ii) “reversible” electrochemical derivatization; and iii) in situ mechanistic study and capture of key radical intermediates when coupled with mass spectrometry.     

Peptide peak intensities enhanced by cysteine modifiers and MALDI TOF MS

Two cysteine‐specific modifiers we reported previously, N‐ethyl maleimide (NEM) and iodoacetanilide (IAA), have been applied to the labeling of cysteine residues of peptides for the purpose of examining the enhancement of ionization efficiencies in combination with matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI TOF MS). The peak intensities of the peptides as a result of modification with these modifiers were compared with the peak intensities of peptides modified with a commercially available cysteine‐specific modifier, iodoacetamide (IA). Our experiments show significant enhancement in the peak intensities of three cysteine‐containing synthetic peptides modified with IAA compared to those modified with IA. The results showed a 4.5–6‐fold increase as a result of modification with IAA compared to modification with IA. Furthermore, it was found that IAA modification also significantly enhanced the peak intensities of many peptides of a commercially available proteins, bovine serum albumin (BSA), compared to those modified with IA. This significant enhancement helped identify a greater number of peptides of these proteins, leading to a higher sequence coverage with greater confidence scores in identification of proteins with the use of IAA. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Summary of ISO/TC 201 standard: ISO 19668—Surface chemical analysis—X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy—Estimating and reporting detection limits for elements in homogeneous materials

This International Standard specifies a procedure by which elemental detection limits in X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) can be estimated from data for a particular sample in common analytical situations and reported. This document is applicable to homogeneous materials and is not applicable if the depth distribution of elements is inhomogeneous within the information depth of the technique.     

XPS analysis of bio‐organic systems

A survey of the literature is made for the XPS analysis of food products (mainly spray‐dried powders, which reveal a considerable surface enrichment in lipids) and of microorganisms and related systems (extracellular polymer substances and biofilms). This survey is used as a background for discussions and recommendations regarding methodology. Sample preparation methods reviewed are freeze drying, analysis of frozen hydrated specimens and adsorption of surface‐active biocompounds on model substrates. Peak decomposition is a way to increase the wealth of information provided by the XPS spectra. It should be performed after a check that sample charge stabilization is satisfactory. Moreover, ensuring the precision needed to make comparisons within sets of samples may involve a trade‐off between imposing constraints and generating information. The examination of correlations between spectral data in the light of chemical guidelines is useful to validate or improve peak decomposition and component assignment, and may also upgrade the chemical information regarding speciation. Further upgrading may be achieved by expressing marker XPS data in terms of concentrations of compounds of interest. Different methods of computation are discussed, providing a composition in terms of ingredients, classes of biochemical compounds, or various organic and inorganic compounds. As an alternative or complement to this deterministic approach, multivariate analysis of suitable spectral windows provides spectral components, which may be used for comparing samples, and which may have a direct chemical relevance or be used to identify features of interest. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Infrared spectroscopic study of the interactions of nylon‐6 with water

We studied the interactions of nylon‐6 with water by following the Fourier transform infrared spectra of a hydrated thin film during dehydration. Very small changes in the spectra caused by the interactions were clearly revealed by the application of spectral subtraction. The water was found to interact with amide groups to form hydrogen bonds with non‐hydrogen‐bonded or free C?O and NH groups in the amorphous portion in the first hydration sphere. This was deduced from an analysis of minus and plus peaks appearing around the absorptions of the NH stretching, amide I band, and amide II bands in the difference spectra between the spectra during dehydration and the one at the most dehydration. The interactions of the amide groups with water were significantly stronger than the hydrogen bond between CO and NH in the crystalline portion, according to the magnitude of the frequency shift of relevant bands. Water, as the interacting counterpart, showed a distorted OH stretching absorption with two close peaks at about 3450 cm^?1. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 1722–1729, 2003     

一种新型交替迭代算法用于农药GC-MS信号快速分析

化学计量学算法为重叠GC-MS信号解析提供了有效手段. 免疫算法(IAs)可根据标准样品的信号(色谱或质谱)对重叠GC-MS信号进行解析并得到重叠信号中各组分的信息. 但是标样信号与实际测量信号之间的差别会造成解析结果出现偏差. 针对标样信号与测量信号不一致的问题, 作者提出了一种交替迭代算法用于重叠GC-MS测量信号的直接解析. 该方法在不提供标样信号的情况下可以解析出组分的质谱和色谱信息. 计算过程中, 采用随机产生的质谱作为初始输入, 利用最小二乘和IA算法交替计算质谱和色谱, 直到满足终止条件. 采用所建立的方法对40种组分的农药混合物进行了分析, 使用快速升温程序在10 min保留时间内得到了全部组分的色谱和质谱信息.     

D-和L-丙氨酸的低温磁相变——磁场变化下的比热和直流磁化率(英文)

为了解D-和L-丙氨酸单晶晶格在极低温下是否存在磁手性相变,在2-20 K下改变磁场强度(0,1,3,5T)测定其比热.实验结果表明比热和温度之间的函数关系很好地符合C(T)=aT3+b/T2方程,其中aT3项为晶格声子的贡献,可由公式CV=(12/5)π4R(T/ΘD)3来描述(ΘD为德拜温度),b/T2项为磁场对比热的贡献.实验发现,在2-20 K范围内D-和L-丙氨酸单晶在不同磁场强度下均存在Boson峰(在Cp/T3-T曲线中表现为一个最大值).磁的贡献导致D-和L-丙氨酸单晶的四条Cp/T3-T曲线在2-12 K时不重合,且在12-20 K时消失,此即Schottky反常.零磁场下,D-和L-丙氨酸的Boson峰分别为9.44和10.86 K;德拜温度分别为151.5和152.7 K.结合磁场强度1 T下的直流磁化率测定,发现在温度低于5 K时,D-和L-丙氨酸单晶有相反的磁化率行为,反映了核自旋和电子自旋弱相互作用的手性表现.     

模差渐进投影法解析重叠色谱峰

提出了一种鉴别重叠色谱峰类型的化学计量学方法——模差渐进投影(MDEP)法。该方法利用二维色谱数据中相邻两个色谱流出点的光谱矢量模的和与该两个矢量和的模之差,建立模差-时间(dm-t)曲线判断非纯色谱峰的纯组分区,同时判定第二组分色谱流出点和倒数第二组分色谱结束点。分别以纯组分区的光谱矢量建立正交阵对该色谱峰进行投影运算,得到投影后转换色谱。该转换色谱消除了纯组分区所对应化合物的色谱和光谱信息。对转换色谱重复上述操作至整个色谱峰的模差-时间曲线均为0时终止,得到重叠色谱峰各组分的色谱流出点和结束点。利用上述结果,采用不包含待测组分光谱信息的该重叠峰二维色谱数据建立正交矩阵对该色谱峰进行投影运算,获得待测组分的相似色谱图。通过比对分析即可得到该组分在重叠色谱峰中的光谱和色谱信息。依次操作,即可获得重叠色谱峰中各组分的光谱和色谱信息。采用模差渐近投影法对4组分模拟重叠二维色谱峰及杜香挥发油GC-MS的重叠色谱峰进行了解析,方法简便、结果准确。     

A critical look at the definition of multidimensional separations

Multidimensional (MD) separations, especially comprehensive two-dimensional (2D) separations such as comprehensive 2D LC (LC × LC), and comprehensive 2D GC (GC × GC), are potentially powerful separation techniques. It is important to have a clear definition of MD techniques to better understand the scope and boundaries of the subject. Widely accepted definitions of MD Separations have their roots in the definition proposed by Giddings. Giddings also added several comments that clarified the scope of his definition. However, some researchers extend Giddings’ definitions beyond their intended scope. Doing so disqualifies such comprehensive 2D techniques as LC × LC, GC × GC and 2D TLC from being considered as 2D techniques. In other instances, extended treatment of Giddings’ definition is used as a basis to justify design-parameters of comprehensive 2D separations despite the fact that these parameters lead to sub-optimal implementations. We believe that the shortcomings in the definition and its popular interpretations are serious enough to warrant attention, especially by those interested in designing optimal instrumentation for MD separations like comprehensive 2D GC. After discussion of the weaknesses in the currently used definitions, we propose to define n-dimensional analysis as one that generates n-dimensional displacement information. We believe that this definition captures the spirit of Giddings’ definition while avoiding the problems associated with its popular interpretations.