Photoluminescence activity of Yang and Secco etched multicrystalline silicon material

Ultraviolet and blue-green photoluminescence (PL) was investigated on multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) samples chemically etched by Secco and Yang solutions. The samples were characterized by dislocation density (10⁵-10⁶ cm⁻²). The form of etched pits is triangular with Yang etch and like a honeycomb with Secco etch as observed with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). These textures of mc-Si wafers give a PL activity similar to that obtained with nanostructures of porous silicon (PS) as reported in the literature. The ultraviolet PL spectra observed with Yang etch shift to the blue-green spectrum range when applying Secco etch. In our experiments we have observed 3-5 μm diameter macro pores separated by a high density of nanowalls. These observations suggest that the origin of the PL activity are quantum dots resulting from the silicon nanocrystallites obtained after few minutes of chemical etching.     

Synthesis of proteophosphoglycans of Leishmania major and Leishmania mexicana

A novel approach for the synthesis of various fragments of proteophosphoglycans from Leishmania major and Leishmania mexicana proteophosphoglycans has been developed. These compounds have been obtained by coupling alpha-mannosyl and alpha-N-acetyl-glucosamine phosphoramidite derivatives with the serine hydroxyl of various amino acids and peptides to give, after oxidation with tert-BuOOH, phosphotriesters exclusively as alpha-anomers in good yield. The resulting compounds could be deblocked using conventional methods. Glycophosphorylation of preassembled and properly protected peptides was found to be more efficient for the preparation of proteophosphoglycan fragments than a building block approach strategy using a phosphoglycosylserine derivative.     

Application of Alizarine Derivatives as Chromogenic Reagents for the Spectrophotometric Determination of Some Sulfa Drugs

A spectrophotometric procedure for the determination of six pharmaceutical sulfonamides containing a primary aromatic amino group using alizarine (I), alizarine blue (II), alizarine red (III), and quinalizarine (IV), that offers advantages of simplicity, rapidity, sensitivity, precision, and stability, has been developed. The proposed method is based on the formation of colored products with the chromogenic reagents (I-IV). A linear correlation was found between absorbance at λ_max and the concentration. For more accurate results, Ringbom optimum concentration ranges are evaluated. The molar absorptivities (ε), absorptivities (a), and Sandell sensitivities for all sulfonamides derivatives with the chromogenic reagents tested were calculated. The procedures developed are applied for bulk sulfa drugs and some of their dosage forms.     

Separation of nucleotides in homogenates of octopus retina by ion-pair reversed-phase liquid chromatography and identification by mass spectrometry

An isocratic ion-pair reversed-phase liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the determination of thirteen nucleotides including cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP. The resolution capability of this method was evaluated successfully using homogenates of octopus retina, the aim being to elucidate the role of nucleotides (particularly ADP and ATP) in the control of oxidative metabolism. To overcome the inherent lack of specificity of ultraviolet detection we used the coupling of liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry, via a thermospray interface, to confirm the identity of the nucleotides of interest in the biological samples.     

Bidentate bonding mode of tetrahydroborate and nitrite towards copper(II) in open-faced macrocyclic complexes

Novel seven-coordinate complexes formulated as [CuL(BH₄)₂], [CuL(BH₄)(NO₂)] and [CuL(NO₂)₂] (L = 1,4,7-triazacyclononane) have been prepared and structurally characterized by elemental analyses, spectroscopic data (u.v., i.r. and e.p.r.), magnetic susceptibility and conductivity measurements. The results reveal that the complexes are non-electrolytic. The coordination geometry around the copper(II) ion is a seven coordinated square pyramidal structure with three nitrogen atoms of the 1,4,7-triazacyclononane and either four hydrogen atoms of two bidentate tetrahydroborate groups or two hydrogen atoms of the bidentate tetrahydroborate group and two oxygen atoms of the bidentate nitrite group or four oxygen atoms of two bidentate nitrito groups. A cyclic voltammetric study on the complexes indicates an irreversible redox couple (Cu^II/Cu^I) in DMF, giving a voltage of ca. −0.37 V versus s.c.e.     

Ligation Behaviour of Tetrahydroborate and Azide Towards Copper(II)

A new complex formulated as [Cu(Pn)₂(N₃)(BH₄)](Pn = 1,3-propanediamine) has been prepared and characterized. The results indicate that the tetrahydroborate and azide ions complete the coordination. The complex is octahedral and non-electrolytic. A cyclic voltammetric study shows that the complex exhibits a single one-electron redox couple (Cu²⁺/Cu⁺).