Measurement of storage time, estimation of ion number and study of absorption line profile in a Paul trap

Europium (Eu⁺) ions were confined in a Paul trap and detected by non-destructive method. Storage time of Eu⁺ ions achieved in vacuum was improved by orders of magnitude employing buffer gas cooling. The experimentally detected signal was fitted to the ion response signal and the total number of ions trapped was estimated. It is found that the peak signal amplitude as well as the product of FWHM and the peak signal amplitude is proportional to the total number of trapped ions. The trapped ion secular frequency was swept at different rates and its effect on the absorption line profile was studied both experimentally and theoretically.     

Synthesis,Characterization, and Antiproliferative Activity of Novel Chiral [QuinoxP*AuCl2]+ Complexes

Herein is reported the synthesis of two Au(III) complexes bearing the (R,R)-(–)-2,3-Bis(tert-butylmethylphosphino)quinoxaline (R,R-QuinoxP*) or (S,S)-(+)-2,3-Bis(tert-butylmethylphosphino)quinoxaline (S,S-QuinoxP*) ligands. By reacting two stoichiometric equivalents of HAuCl₄.3H₂O to one equivalent of the corresponding QuinoxP* ligand, (R,R)-(–)-2,3-Bis(tert-butylmethylphosphino)quinoxalinedichlorogold(III) tetrachloroaurates(III) (1) and (S,S)-(+)-2,3-Bis(tert-butylmethylphosphino)quinoxalinedichlorogold(III) tetrachloroaurates(III) (2) were formed, respectively, in moderate yields. The structure of (S,S)-(+)-2,3-Bis(tert-butylmethylphosphino)quinoxalinedichlorogold(III) tetrachloroaurates(III) (2) was further confirmed by X-ray crystallography. The antiproliferative activities of the two compounds were evaluated in a panel of cell lines and exhibited promising results comparable to auranofin and cisplatin with IC₅₀ values between 1.08 and 4.83 µM. It is noteworthy that in comparison to other platinum and ruthenium enantiomeric complexes, the two enantiomers (1 and 2) do not exhibit different cytotoxic effects. The compounds exhibited stability in biologically relevant media over 48 h as well as inert reactivity to excess glutathione at 37 °C. These results demonstrate that the Au(III) atom, stabilized by the QuinoxP* ligand, can provide exciting compounds for novel anticancer drugs. These complexes provide a new scaffold to further develop a robust and diverse library of chiral phosphorus Au(III) complexes.     

Dual Functioning Thieno‐Pyrrole Fused BODIPY Dyes for NIR Optical Imaging and Photodynamic Therapy: Singlet Oxygen Generation without Heavy Halogen Atom Assistance

We discovered a rare phenomenon wherein a thieno‐pyrrole fused BODIPY dye (SBDPiR690) generates singlet oxygen without heavy halogen atom substituents. SBDPiR690 generates both singlet oxygen and fluorescence. To our knowledge, this is the first example of such a finding. To establish a structure–photophysical property relationship, we prepared SBDPiR analogs with electron‐withdrawing groups at the para‐position of the phenyl groups. The electron‐withdrawing groups increased the HOMO–LUMO energy gap and singlet oxygen generation. Among the analogs, SBDPiR688, a CF₃ analog, had an excellent dual functionality of brightness (82290 m ^?1 cm^?1) and phototoxic power (99170 m ^?1 cm^?1) comparable to those of Pc 4, due to a high extinction coefficient (211 000 m ^?1 cm^?1) and balanced decay (Φ_flu=0.39 and Φ_Δ=0.47). The dual functionality of the lead compound SBDPiR690 was successfully applied to preclinical optical imaging and for PDT to effectively control a subcutaneous tumor.     

Correction: Dermatan sulfate in tunicate phylogeny: Order-specific sulfation pattern and the effect of [→4IdoA(2-Sulfate)β-1→3GalNAc(4-Sulfate)β-1→] motifs in dermatan sulfate on heparin cofactor II activity

After the publication of the work entitled "Dermatan sulfate in tunicate phylogeny: Order-specific sulfation pattern and the effect of [→4IdoA(2-Sulfate)β-1→3GalNAc(4-Sulfate)β-1→] motifs in dermatan sulfate on heparin cofactor II activity", by Kozlowski et al., BMC Biochemistry 2011, 12:29, we found that the legends to Figures 2 to 5 contain serious mistakes that compromise the comprehension of the work. This correction article contains the correct text of the legends to Figures 2 to 5.     

Potassium Ion-selective Electrode with a Sensitive Ion-to-Electron Transducer Composed of Porous Laser-induced Graphene and MoS2 Fabricated by One-step Direct Laser Writing

In this study, an ion-selective electrode with a sensitive ion-to-electron transducer composed of porous laser-induced graphene (LIG) and MoS₂ (LIG-MoS₂/ISE) was fabricated to measure the potassium ion concentration in a greenhouse nutrient solution for soilless culture. Additionally, a more effective and low-cost method was proposed for the large-batch production and manufacture of potassium ion-selective electrodes (K⁺-ISEs) using the direct laser writing technique, which differs considerably from existing methods. Moreover, the sensing mechanism of the proposed LIG-MoS₂/ISE for potassium ion detection was investigated. The morphology and physical properties of the LIG-MoS₂/SC-K⁺-ISEs were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy. Potentiometric measurements, chronopotentiometry, potentiometric water layer tests, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to evaluate the analytical performance of the newly developed K⁺-ISEs. A Nernstian slope of 30.1 mV/decade for the activity of potassium ions in a concentration range from 10⁻⁷ to 10⁻² M was determined. The EIS and chronopotentiometry results revealed that the LIG-MoS₂/SC-K⁺-ISE had a larger resistance and double-layer capacitance than the LIG/SC-K⁺-ISE. The ion-selective membrane (ISM) and solid-contact layer did not have any water film between them, according to the potentiometric water layer test. The results proved that the LIG-MoS₂ nanocomposite could possibly be used as a sensitive ion-to-electron transducer to fabricate K⁺-ISEs. The K⁺-ISE fabrication method using the direct laser writing technique had a higher efficiency, enabling its broad application prospects in agriculture.