Spectrofluorimetric Method for the Determination of Aluminum with Alizarin Red PS

 A simple and direct spectrofluorimetric method has been developed for the determination of aluminum using alizarin red PS (1,2,4-trihydroxy 9,10-anthraquinone-3-sulfonic acid). The method is based on the strong fluorescence (480/564 nm) of Al³⁺ and alizarin red. Experimental parameters such as pH, concentration of the ligand, ionic strength of the solution, reaction time and temperature were optimized in order to maximize the analytical signal. Interferences of several ions (anions and cations) were studied and evaluated. The linear range of the method extends from 3 to 100 μg L⁻¹. Limit of detection (3s_b) was 0.9 μg L⁻¹. The method was tested with a silicate certified reference material. Interferences were eliminated by a liquid extraction with cupferron. Author for correspondence. E-mail: aucelior@rdc.puc-rio.br Received September 10, 2002; accepted January 15, 2003 Published online May 5, 2003     

4‐Acetamido‐3,3,5,5‐[2H4]‐2,2,6,6‐tetra­([2H3]methyl)piperidin‐1‐yloxyl 0.33‐hydrate

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C₁₁H₅D₁₆N₂O₂·0.33H₂O, is formed by three crystallographically independent piperidin‐1‐yloxyl mol­ecules and a mol­ecule of water. The mol­ecules are crosslinked by nine hydrogen bonds into layers parallel with the ac plane. The water mol­ecule contributes to the stability of the low‐symmetry arrangement by four hydrogen bonds.     

The gastroprotective effect of oxycellulose pellets on gastric ulcers

Oxycellulose belongs to the wide range of pharmaceutically and medically used cellulose derivatives unique in its properties of biodegradability, non-toxicity, antioxidative activity, haemostasis supporting, tissue healing improvement, etc. Glycyrrhizin (Gly) represents the most prominent licorice triterpenoid glycoside, which is responsible for its pharmacological activity, and is closely linked to increasing levels of gastroprotective prostaglandins. In order to study the anti-ulcer activity of oxycellulose sodium and Gly, pellets containing only oxycellulose, or in combination with glycyrrhizin, were prepared using an extrusion/spheronization method. The physical properties and in vitro release rate of the prepared pellets were tested. Based on the obtained results, one sample prepared from oxycellulose only, and one containing glycyrrhizin were chosen for in vivo testing. The healing effect of the prepared pellet formulations was evaluated in the acetic acid induced gastric ulcers in rats. The improvement in gastric ulcer healing was documented for myeloperoxidase activity, alkaline phosphatase activity and gastric wall mucin levels using the Alcian blue binding capacity. The tested pellets significantly reduced myeloperoxidase and alkaline phosphatase activity, and increased gastric wall mucus levels compared to the non-treated group. The in vivo tests showed that oral administration of the prepared pellets accelerated the healing of gastric ulcers in rats.     

Synthesis and characterization of new galactosylated-based N2O-donors tridentate ligands

The synthesis and characterization of three novel N₂O-donor ligands containing the group 4-[1-β-d-2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-galactosyl)]benzaldehyde are presented. The insertion of this group was designed to increase the absorption of the prodrug in tumor cells, and is part of an ongoing work in our group with tridentate ligands to develop potential cobalt(III) prodrugs. The synthetic route described here allowed the isolation of pure ligands with yields ranged 81–89%. Finally, compounds were characterized by IR, NMR and HRMS (ESI⁺).     

Noninvasive Temperature Measurement in Dental Materials Using Nd3+, Yb3+ Doped Nanoparticles Emitting in the Near Infrared Region

In this work, the application of near infrared (NIR)-emitting NaYbF₄:1%Tm³⁺@NaLuF₄:30%Nd³⁺ core–shell nanoparticles is reported for noninvasive probing and monitoring the temperature during photopolymerization of dental materials. When excited at 808 nm, the synthesized nanoparticles emit NIR photoluminescence (PL) with two distinctive peaks at 865 and 980 nm which correspond to radiative transitions from the doped Nd³⁺ and Yb³⁺ ions, respectively. Luminescence intensity ratio between these two bands is found to vary with temperature due to temperature-dependent electronic excitation energy transfer between Nd³⁺ and Yb³⁺ ions at the core/shell interface. This finding allows luminescence ratiometric evaluation of the in situ temperature during photopolymerization of resin cement (doped with nanoparticles) in a veneer placement procedure. In addition, the NIR emission also enables PL imaging of the distribution of the adhesive under the veneer. The results highlight that rare-earth ions–doped nanoparticles with both excitation and emission in the NIR spectral range are advantageous for both PL-based nanothermometry and imaging due to the reduced attenuation of NIR light by dental ceramics.     

Mass spectrometric study of aliphatic alpha-carbonyl azides

A series of derivatives of 2-azidoacetic acid and 2-azidoacetone were synthesized and their behaviour under electron ionization conditions was investigated. This paper reports the electron ionization fragmentation mechanisms for five aliphatic alpha-carbonyl azides, which were clarified by accurate mass measurements and B/E linked scans. The substituent influences the abundance and the nature of the ions resulting from the molecular ion fragmentation.     

Determination of the limits of applicability of the chemical equilibrium model to the detonation products of gas mixtures

The applicability of the model of a chemically equilibrium mixture to describing the evolution of the composition of the detonation products during their expansion in three typical problems involving oxygen- and air-based combustible mixtures is examined. For the detonation products of oxygen-based mixtures, the model of a chemical equilibrium mixture provides a good agreement with the kinetic calculations for all practically important initial conditions for these problems. For air-based mixtures, initial conditions at which such an agreement is observed are determined.     

Effect of dose and dose rate of gamma radiation on catalytic activity of catalase

Catalytic activity of gamma irradiated catalase from bovine liver was studied for hydrogen peroxide decomposition at constant temperature and pressure. The measurement was performed at temperatures 27, 32, 37, 42 and 47 °C. Solutions containing 1 and 0.01 g dm⁻³ of catalase in phosphate buffer were used for the study. Repeatability of both sample preparation and kinetics measurement was experimentally verified. Rate constants of the reaction were determined for all temperatures and the activation energy was evaluated from Arrhenius plot. Gamma irradiation was performed using ⁶⁰Co radionuclide source Gammacell 220 at two different dose rates 5.5 and 70 Gy h⁻¹, with doses ranging from 10 to 1000 Gy. The observed reaction of irradiated and non-irradiated catalase with hydrogen peroxide is of the first order. Irradiation significantly decreases catalytic activity of catalase, but the activation energy does not depend markedly on the dose. The effect of irradiation is more significant at higher dose rate.