Electronic tongue for quality assessment of ethanol, vodka and eau-de-vie

Rapid quality assessment of alcoholic beverages, including brand identification and detection of products of unacceptable quality or counterfeits is an important practical task. In the present work the multisensor electronic tongue system (ET), based on array of potentiometric chemical sensors was applied to recognition and classification of spirits such as vodka and ethanol used for vodka production and also for eau-de-vie in cognac production. The ET system was capable of detecting presence of contaminant substances in vodka in concentrations exceeding allowed levels as well as of distinguishing vodka complying and not complying with state quality standards. Ten brands of vodka produced at the same distillery using water and ethanol of different purity and various taste additives were discriminated using the instrument. The ET could distinguish synthetic and alimentary grain ethanol as well as alimentary ethanol of different grades (i.e. different degree of purification). A feasibility study was run on several eau-de-vie samples, which included fresh and aged eau-de-vie as well as samples produced using different distillation technology and samples kept in contact with different kinds of oak. The electronic tongue showed a promise as an analytical instrument for rapid quality assessment of spirits.     

Mono- and Diamination of 4,6-Dichloropyrimidine, 2,6-Dichloropyrazine and 1,3-Dichloroisoquinoline with Adamantane-Containing Amines

N-heteroaryl substituted adamantane-containing amines are of substantial interest for their perspective antiviral and psychotherapeutic activities. Chlorine atom at alpha-position of N-heterocycles has been substituted by the amino group using convenient nucleophilic substitution reactions with a series of adamantylalkylamines. The prototropic equilibrium in these compounds was studied using NMR spectroscopy. The introduction of the second amino substituent in 4-amino-6-chloropyrimidine, 2-amino-chloropyrazine, and 1-amino-3-chloroisoquinoline was achieved using Pd(0) catalysis.     

Bromo dimethyl sulfoxide osmium(II) complexes. Molecular structure of cis,fac-[OsBr2(dmso-S)3(dmso-O)]

Bromo dimethyl sulfoxide osmium(II) complexes were synthesized: trans-[OsBr₂(dmso-S)₄] (1) was obtained by the reaction of K₂[OsBr₆] with DMSO in the presence of SnBr₂ at 100°C and cis,fac-[OsBr₂(dmso-S)₃(dmso-O)] (2) was prepared by thermal isomerization of 1 in a DMSO solution at 150°C. The coordination mode of DMSO molecules was determined by IR and ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that compound 2 crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group P2₁/n; a = 8.4711(5) Å, b = 27.7876(15) Å, c = 8.5569(5) Å, β = 115.7110(10)°; Z = 4. The coordination polyhedron of osmium is a distorted octahedron; the osmium environment is formed by two cis-arranged bromine atoms and three fac-S-coordinated and one O-coordinated DMSO molecules. The interconversion of complexes in solutions was studied by UV/Vis and ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. In chloroform and DMSO, complex 2 isomerizes to cis-[OsBr₂(dmso-S)₄] and (in the light) to 1. The complexes trans-[OsX₂(dmso-d₆)₄], where X = Cl, Br, were isolated from DMSO-d ₆ and characterized by the IR spectra.     

Osmium dimethyl sulfoxide complexes: Synthesis and properties of [H(dmso)2][OsIII(dmso)2Br4]

The reaction of H₂[OsBr₆] with DMSO in ethanol solution resulted in DMSO complex [H(dmso-O)₂][Os^III(dmso-S)₂Br₄] (1) described previously as an intermediate product in the reaction of K₂[OsBr₆] with DMSO and characterized by EAS and ESR spectra. The coordination of DMSO molecules was established by IR and ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The oxidation state of osmium and trans arrangement of DMSO molecules in the anion were established by ESR. The behavior of complex 1 in solutions was studied by EAS, ESR, and mass-spectrometry: a displacement of Br^? ions accompanied by the reduction of osmium to oxidation state +2 occurs in DMSO, a solvation with displacement of DMSO molecules is observed at the first stage in water and methanol (rate constants 2.3 × 10^?4 and 1.7 × 10^?3 s^?1, respectively), the sequential substitution of DMSO molecules and osmium oxidation to form [Os^IVBr₆]_2? ions takes place in 4 mol/L HBr.     

Shape-persistent linear, kinked, and cyclic oligo(phenylene-ethynylene-butadiynylene)s: self-assembled monolayers

Shape-persistent rigid phenylene-ethynylene-butadiynylenes form lamellar self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) at the HOPG/TCB interface, which were studied by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) with submolecular resolution. Substitution of the terminating acetylene functions with polar cyanopropyldimethylsilyl groups leads to 2D phase separation and defined rod-rod interactions, which determine the packing distances between the rigid rods. The results stimulated the connection of rigid rods via septiarylene clamp units. They covalently link two rigid rod units and define the intramolecular rod-rod distance that matches the alkoxy substituent chain lengths. The systems can be described as half-ring structures of two rigid rods connected via a rotatable joint unit. These acetylene-terminated half-ring structures were also oligomerized under Cu and Pd catalysis to yield defined acyclic and cyclic oligomers. Detailed STM studies decoded the molecular origin of the surface patterning of such systems. The dodecyloxy side chains are adsorbed along the HOPG main axes and, together with the alkoxy backbone angle, determine the adsorption direction of the adlayers.     

Log-gases on quadratic lattices via discrete loop equations and q-boxed plane partitions

We study a general class of log-gas ensembles on (shifted) quadratic lattices. We prove that the corresponding empirical measures satisfy a law of large numbers and that their global fluctuations are Gaussian with a universal covariance. We apply our general results to analyze the asymptotic behavior of a q-boxed plane partition model introduced by Borodin, Gorin and Rains. In particular, we show that the global fluctuations of the height function on a fixed slice are described by a one-dimensional section of a pullback of the two-dimensional Gaussian free field.Our approach is based on a q-analogue of the Schwinger–Dyson (or loop) equations, which originate in the work of Nekrasov and his collaborators, and extends the methods developed by Borodin, Gorin and Guionnet to quadratic lattices.     

Durability of polyurethanes elastomers

The effect of thermal aging on three different elastomeric polyurethane adhesives was studied. Consequently, an attempt was made to predict the polyurethanes' service lifetimes from the changes in tensile properties, hardness of bulk specimens and adhesion strength properties (lap shear and butt joints) of polycarbonate bonded joints. Aging temperatures ranged from ambient to 70 °C (at 50% relative humidity) for durations from 20 days to 18 months. Experimental results were analyzed according to a kinetic rate theory and using limit values for the various properties. Consequently, service lifetimes were determined and compared to results from actual service life. Predictions of long-term performance from accelerated tests proved to be reasonable for the properties and materials studied.     

Proteins and polyelectrolytes: A charged relationship

We review the interaction of charged polymeric systems with proteins. In solutions of low ionic strength there are many examples of proteins attracted to polyelectrolytes even if both systems carry the same overall charge. This attractive interaction is widespread, having been observed for single polyelectrolyte chains as well as for polyelectrolytes grafted to surfaces (polyelectrolyte brushes) and charged polymeric networks. In all cases, adding salt weakens the interaction considerably. We discuss the suggestion that the attractive force at low salinity originates from the asymmetry of interaction between charged polymer segments and charged patches on the surface of the protein globule. This can be explained if the attractive force is mainly due to a counterion release force, i.e., the polyelectrolyte chains become the multivalent counterions for the patches of opposite charge localized on the surface of the proteins. We review a selection of simple models that lead to semi-quantitative estimates of this force as the function of salt concentration.