Thermal lens spectrometric determination of hexavalent chromium

The applicability of thermal lens spectrometry (TLS) for quantification and routine determination of hexavalent chromium was investigated by using a collinear dual beam thermal lens spectrometer. In aqueous solutions the LOD of 0.1 μg l⁻¹ was obtained for Cr(VI) by using 160 mW laser power. The performance of the technique was verified by the determination of hexavalent chromium in standard reference water samples (NIST SRM 1643a and NIST SRM 1643c) and comparing the results for Cr(VI) in CCA (Cr, Cu, As)-treated timber extracts to concentrations obtained by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). Good agreement between the TLS results and reported values for Cr(VI) in SRMs as well as AAS results for Cr(VI) in CCA-treated timbers confirmed that TLS is a reliable and accurate analytical technique applicable for the determination of Cr(VI) in aqueous solutions at concentration levels 0.5–100 μg l⁻¹.     

Die Synthese von Hydrazinium(+2)-fluoromagnesat

Zusammenfassung Die Reaktion zwischen MgCO₃ und wässerigen Lösungen von Hydraziniumdifluorid und Flußsäure führt zum Hydraziniumfluoromagnesat. Diese Verbindung ist auch aus Magnesiumchlorid-und Hydraziniumdifluorid-Lösungen herstellbar. Es werden röntgenographische, IR-spektrographische und thermogravimetrische Untersuchungen dieser Verbindung angegeben.

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Hydrazinium(+2) fluoromagnesate is formed in the reaction between MgCO₃ and hydrazinium difluoride dissolved in hydrogen fluoride. The reaction of magnesium chloride and an aqueous solution of hydrazinium difluoride yields the same product. The results of X-ray diffraction studies, IR spectroscopical studies and thermogravimetrical investigation are given.

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Mit 3 Abbildungen     

The effects of eluent mixing on TLS detection in gradient elution HPLC

The effects of changing solvent composition on the LOD of TLS detection in gradient elution HPLC have been studied from the perspective of thermo-optical properties of the solvent. Hyphenated gradient high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-thermal lens spectrometry (TLS), was used to separate and detect 13 carotenoid compounds and two chlorophylls. Utilization of mixing coils into the system reduces the inhomogeneities during eluent changes and therefore enables the application of thermal lens detection in the gradient HPLC method. For gradient chromatographic conditions in which the thermo-optical properties and related enhancement factor change as much as 50% over 10 min, the LODs for the TLS detector were enhanced by as much as three times in comparison with UV-Vis detection. For the isocratic part of the chromatogram, up to a tenfold improvement of LODs was achieved with TLS detection.     

Synthesis of alkyl‐modified poly(sodium glutamate)s for preparation of polymer‐protein nanoparticles in combination with N,N,N‐trimethyl chitosan

The negatively charged, water‐soluble, hydrophobically modified poly(sodium glutamate)s containing different amounts of alkyl grafts were synthesized. First, poly(γ‐benzyl‐L‐glutamate) was prepared by ring‐opening polymerization of the corresponding N‐carboxyanhydride, which was in the next step aminolysed with octylamine. After removal of the remaining benzyl protective groups, the alkyl‐modified poly(sodium glutamate)s [P(Glu‐oa)] were obtained and, together with the oppositely charged N,N,N‐trimethyl chitosan (TMC), used for the preparation of nanoparticles (NPs) of a recombinant granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor (GCSF) protein by polyelectrolyte complexation method. It is observed that, beside electrostatic interaction, the hydrophobic grafts on poly(sodium glutamate)s significantly contribute to association efficiency (AE) with GCSF protein. The addition of TMC solution to the dispersion of GCSF/P(Glu‐oa) complexes results in formation of much more defined NPs with high AE and final protein loading. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 2976–2985     

Low-temperature versus oxygen plasma treatment of water-based TiO2 paste for dye-sensitized solar cells

High-temperature treatment steps in fabrication process of dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) significantly contribute to the manufacturing costs and limit the use of temperature sensitive substrates. Therefore our aim was to develop a simple method for the preparation of water-based TiO₂ paste. The paste is based on peroxotitanic acid (PTA) sol–gel matrix and commercial TiO₂ nanoparticles (P25). Two fabrication processes to decompose/transform the PTA matrix in the printed TiO₂ layer are explored and combined: annealing at temperatures up to 250 °C and/or oxygen plasma treatment. The results show that the PTA matrix in the paste converts to anatase phase and to some extent also attaches to the TiO₂ nanoparticles P25 acting as an interconnecting network within TiO₂ layer. The transformation of the PTA matrix occurs around 250 °C, but in the presence of TiO₂ nanoparticles P25 it starts already at 120 °C. In addition the results reveal that the crystallization is achievable also solely with the oxygen plasma treatment. The efficiency of the TiO₂ layers, exposed to different post-deposition treatments, is evaluated in DSSCs. The results show that oxygen plasma treatment of the TiO₂ layers could efficiently replace temperature curing at 250 °C. Within this study the DSSCs with the efficiency up to 4.2 % measured under standard test conditions (1,000 W/m², AM1.5, 25 °C) were realized.     

TEAD–YAP Interaction Inhibitors and MDM2 Binders from DNA-Encoded Indole-Focused Ugi Peptidomimetics

DNA-encoded combinatorial synthesis provides efficient and dense coverage of chemical space around privileged molecular structures. The indole side chain of tryptophan plays a prominent role in key, or “hot spot”, regions of protein–protein interactions. A DNA-encoded combinatorial peptoid library was designed based on the Ugi four-component reaction by employing tryptophan-mimetic indole side chains to probe the surface of target proteins. Several peptoids were synthesized on a chemically stable hexathymidine adapter oligonucleotide “hexT”, encoded by DNA sequences, and substituted by azide-alkyne cycloaddition to yield a library of 8112 molecules. Selection experiments for the tumor-relevant proteins MDM2 and TEAD4 yielded MDM2 binders and a novel class of TEAD-YAP interaction inhibitors that perturbed the expression of a gene under the control of these Hippo pathway effectors.     

Membrane switch hypothesis. 1. Cell density influences lateral domain structure of tumor cell membranes

The domain structure of human cancer cells membranes was investigated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) in different phases of cell growth, and the results were compared to those obtained for nonmalignant cells. On the basis of computer simulation of the EPR spectra using a newly developed GHOST condensation routine it was suggested that plasma membranes of cancer cells have less lateral lipid domain types at confluent conditions than in the exponential growing phase, while in nonmalignant cells the domain structure does not change significantly during cell growth. In accordance to our experimental data we propose a membrane switch hypothesis: disappearance of certain membrane domain types might act as a switch promoting the clustering of membrane constituents into the active units in a common lipid membrane domain and thus influencing the physiology of cells.     

Dipole moment and self-association of cyclohexylsulfamic acid in 1,4-dioxane solution at 298.15?K

Abstract  

The density, refractive index, and electrical permittivity of cyclohexylsulfamic acid in 1,4-dioxane solutions were measured at 298.15 K. The limiting apparent specific volume, refraction, and polarization were calculated from the experimental data. The electrical dipole moment of cyclohexylsulfamic acid was estimated using the Debye, Onsager, and Kirkwood equations. The dipole association of cyclohexylsulfamic acid was treated with the assumption that the dipole moment of dimeric species is zero. The dimerization constant and dipole moment of monomeric species were evaluated.     

Triple Systems are Eulerian

An Euler tour of a hypergraph (also called a rank‐2 universal cycle or 1‐overlap cycle in the context of designs) is a closed walk that traverses every edge exactly once. In this paper, using a graph‐theoretic approach, we prove that every triple system with at least two triples is eulerian, that is, it admits an Euler tour. Horan and Hurlbert have previously shown that for every admissible order >3, there exists a Steiner triple system with an Euler tour, while Dewar and Stevens have proved that every cyclic Steiner triple system of order >3 and every cyclic twofold triple system admits an Euler tour.     

Search for 8+ strength in 16O via the 12C(α, α2)12C1(7.66 MeV) reaction

Closely spaced angular distributions have been measured for the ${}^{12}\text{C}\text{(α, α}{}_2\text{)}{}^{12}\text{C}\text{1(7.66}\text{MeV}\text{)}$ reaction between E_α = 17.39 and 20.5 MeV in a search for 8⁺ strength in ¹⁶O. No evidence of 8⁺ strength is found, but evidence is found for a narrow 7^? resonance at 21.52 MeV excitation.