A sensitive and efficient method for trace analysis of some phenolic compounds using simultaneous derivatization and air‐assisted liquid–liquid microextraction from human urine and plasma samples followed by gas chromatography–nitrogen phosphorous detection

In present study, a simultaneous derivatization and air‐assisted liquid–liquid microextraction method combined with gas chromatography–nitrogen phosphorous detection has been developed for the determination of some phenolic compounds in biological samples. The analytes are derivatized and extracted simultaneously by a fast reaction with 1‐flouro‐2,4‐dinitrobenzene under mild conditions. Under optimal conditions low limits of detection in the range of 0.05–0.34 ng mL^?1 are achievable. The obtained extraction recoveries are between 84 and 97% and the relative standard deviations are less than 7.2% for intraday (n = 6) and interday (n = 4) precisions. The proposed method was demonstrated to be a simple and efficient method for the analysis of phenols in biological samples. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Microstructure array on Si and SiOx generated by micro-contact printing, wet chemical etching and reactive ion etching

A method, combining micro-contact printing (μCP), wet chemical etching and reactive ion etching (RIE), is reported to fabricate microstructures on Si and SiOx. Positive and negative structures were generated based on different stamps used for μCP. The reproducibility of the obtained microstructures shows the methodology reported herein could be useful in Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS), optical and biological sensing applications.     

Inner-sphere oxidation of iron(II) by tris(malonato)cobaltate(III)

The kinetics of oxidation of Fe²⁺ by [Co(C₃H₂O₄)₃]^3? in acidic solutions at 605 nm showed a simple first-order dependence in each reactant concentration. The second-order rate constant dependence on [H⁺] is in accordance with eqn (i) k₂ = k′₂ + k₃[H⁺] (i) where k′₂ and k₃ have values of 73.4 ± 14.0 M ^?1 s^?1 and 353 ± 41 M^?2 s^?1, respectively, at 1.0 M ionic strength (NaClO₄) and 25°C. At 310 nm the formation and decomposition of an intermediate, believed to be [FeC₃H₂O₄]⁺, was observed. The increase in the rate of oxidation with increasing [H⁺] was interpreted in terms of a “one-ended” dissociation mechanism which facilitates chelation of Fe₂₊ by the carbonyl oxygens of malonate in the transition state.     

A sensitive solid-phase fluoroimmunoassay for detection of opiates in urine

An automated flow fluorometer designed for kinetic binding analysis was adapted to develop a solid-phase competitive fluoroimmunoassay for urinalysis of opiates. The solid phase consisted of polymer beads coated with commercial monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) raised against morphine. Fluorescein-conjugated morphine (FL-MOR) was used as the fluorescein-labeled hapten. The dissociation equilibrium constant (K _D ) for the binding of FL-MOR to the anti-MOR MAb was 0.23 nM. The binding of FL-MOR to the anti-MOR MAb reached steady state within minutes and was displaced effectively by morphine and other opiates. Morphine-3-glucuronide (M3G), the major urinary metabolite of heroin and morphine, competed effectively with FL-MOR in a concentration-dependent manner for binding to the antimorphine MAb and was therefore used to construct the calibration curve. The sensitivity of the assay was 0.2 ng/mL for M3G. The assay was effective at concentrations of M3G from 0.2 to 50 ng/mL, with an IC₅₀ of 2 ng/mL. Other opiates and heroin metabolites that showed >50% crossreactivity when present at 1 μg/mL included codeine, morphine-6-glucuronide, and oxycodone. Methadone showed very low crossreactivity (<5%), which is a benefit for testing in patients being treated for opiate addictions. The high sensitivity of the assay and the relatively high cutoff value for positive opiate tests allows very small sample volumes (e.g., in saliva or sweat) to be analyzed. A double-blind comparison using 205 clinical urine samples showed good agreement between this single-step competitive assay and a commercially performed enzyme multiplied immunoassay technique for the detection of opiates and benzoylecgonine (a metabolite of cocaine).     

Technetium-99m-diethyl-IDA instant kit: Labelling kinetics and biological properties

A formulation of stannous-diethyl-IDA freeze-dried kit, containing 50 mg diethyl-IDA and 0.4 mg hydrated stannous chloride, to be labelled with technetium has been developed for hepatobiliary scintigraphy. Gel chromatography column scanning technique has been applied for determination of technetium fractions in the preapration. The optimal pH value of the preparation with a high hepatobiliary specificity was found between 5.5 to 6.0. Effect of ligand to metal ratio on the stability of the prepared Sn-diethyl-IDA solution prior mixing with technetium has been investigated. The reaction conditions (initial pH) between the ligand and stannous ion affects the percent hydrolysis of the labelled compund, i.e. the formation rate of the complex. The organ distribution data of^99mTc-diethyl-IDA in mice for 60 minutes post injection were satisfactory. The radiopharmaceutical exhibits rapid blood clearance, great hepatic clearance and very short hepatocyte transit time. Uptake of the radiopharmaceutical in various organs of mouse at 5 minute post injection showed that the greater part of the injected radioactivity has distributed between liver and intestine. However, about 12% and 60% of the injected dose has been found in liver and intestine respectively. The renal uptake of the HB agent in mice is relatively low and decreases with time to become about 0.3% at 60 minutes post injection. Blood clearance data of the radiopharmaceutical kit in rabbits showed that the HB agent is-rapidly cleared, since the initial decrease was very fast with a half-time of 1.5 minutes.     

Long-Range interaction coefficients between H,He+, He,and Li+

Using the new expression for the dynamic multipole polarizabilities in terms of effective oscillator strengths and effective transition energies derived from the variational procedure based on the total energy expansion in terms of induced multipole moments, we have calculated the long-range dispersion force coefficients and the leading relativistic correction to the long-range potential between H, He⁺, He, and Li⁺. We have in addition calculated the oscillator strength sum rules for the above systems. Our results are comparable with those obtained using both a hydrodynamic model to quantum mechanics and double perturbation theory.     

Electron-impact ionization of CCl4 and CCl2F2

Absolute partial and total cross sections for electron-impact ionization of CCl4 and CCl2F2 are reported for electron energies from threshold to 1000 eV. The product ions are mass analyzed using a time-of-flight mass spectrometer and detected with a position-sensitive detector whose output demonstrates that all product ion species are collected with equal efficiency irrespective of their initial kinetic energies. Data are presented for production of CCl3(+), CCl2(+), CCl+, C+, Cl2(+), and CCl3(2+) from CCl4; and for production of CCl(2)F+, CClF2(+), CClF(+), (CCl+ + CF2(+)), Cl+, CF+, F+, and C+ from CCl2F2. Data are also reported for formation of (CCl2(+),Cl+) and (CCl+, Cl+) ion pairs from CCl4. The total cross section for each target is obtained as the sum of the partial cross sections. The overall uncertainty in the absolute cross sections for most of the singly charged ions is +/- 5-7 %. The present partial cross sections for lighter fragment ions are found to be considerably greater than had been previously reported but the most recent total cross section measurements agree well with those reported here. Neither the binary-encounter-Bethe theory nor the Deutsch-Mark theory reproduces the experimental cross sections correctly for both targets.     

Free radical reactions in solution : VIII. Radical-initiated addition of trialkylsilanes across alkene CC bonds

Difficulties in carrying out the free-radical addition of trialkylsilanes (as opposed to trichlorosilane) to alkene CC bonds are partly due to telomerization competing with the radical transfer step. This can be overcome by the use of a large excess of trialkylsilane, when good yields of adduct are obtained from mono-substituted and 1,2-disubstituted alkenes.     

Contribution to the study of the mechanism of curing of unsaturated polyester resins

The mechanism of copolymerization of monomethyl and dimethyl maleates and fumarates with styrene was studied by analysis of the conformation of the acid units of the resulting copolymers. The absorption bands for C?O stretching and OH stretching in the spectra of the copolymers are fully identical. They are quite different from the spectra of the copolymers obtained from maleic anhydride and styrene that are subsequently treated with absolute methanol to give the monoester which is then esterified with diazomethane to give the diester. The acid units of the copolymers derived from maleic anhydride exist in a gauche configuration; copolymers derived from fumaric units exist in a trans conformation. The identity of copolymers derived from maleic units with those derived from fumaric units but not with those derived from maleic anhydride indicates that the first step in the copolymerization of the maleic units is an isomerization to fumaric units, which are actually the genuine comonomers.     

Preparation of Diazo Phenyl Sulfides. Kinetics and Mechanism of the Diazo Coupling Reaction of p-Nitrobenzenediazo Phenyl Sulfide with β-Naphthol under Various Conditions

Aryldiazophenyl sulfides prepared from diazotised arylamines and thiophenol at controlled pH, are coupled with β-naphthol yielding the corresponding azo dye. A kinetic study of the diazo coupling reaction of p-nitrobenzenediazo phenyl sulfide with β-naphthol under various conditions revealed that the reaction is of first order kinetics with respect to the diazo phenyl sulfide, and that the rate of coupling measured colorimetrically is influenced by the hydrogen ion concentration and by the ionising power of the medium.